Love, Lies and Assassins
by wraithgirl2004
Summary: Frank Hardy starts going out with Taylor Westbrooke. Too bad she's an Assassin in Training that wants revenge for her father's death.
1. Hi

Hi, I'm wraithgirl2004, and I am very bad at writing disclaimers, as you may have noticed by now. So this Chapter is just one big disclaimer to cover the entire story. I do NOT own any of the Hardy Boys characters. I may not like certain ones (the main one is Callie, that's why she gets in so much trouble in this fic and future ones) but I own none of them. Please don't sue me. I have nothing to give to you other than the insane muses in my head that help me write. At the moment, they are not speaking to the insane voices of my inner child.


	2. Breakups and Assassins

Love, Lies and Assassins 

Frank Hardy breaks up with Callie only to fall in love with Taylor Westbrooke. The only problem is that she's an Assassin-In-Training.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the Hardy Boys series. They are the property of Mr. Dixon.

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Callie Shaw was angry, and in her mind rightfully so. Frank had to break their date at the last second when he and his brother, Joe, had been called away to South America to track down an antique smuggler. Callie was starting to feel as if she would never get to have a 'normal' dating life, and was considering the idea of breaking up with her boyfriend. Walking over to Frank's locker with a 'Dear John' letter in hand, Callie stopped when she saw her boyfriend talking with Chet Morton. 'Just what I need.' Callie mentally grumbled. 'I was hoping to do this and get to Homeroom without seeing him.' She was starting to wonder if it would be better to simply place the note on the windshield of his van. Before she could change her mind, Callie started over and was about to hand him the note when she saw Frank turn to look at her. Shoving the note at him, Callie held her breath and waited. Frank skimmed the note and caught the gist of it. Looking at her for a moment, he nodded, agreeing with her. Callie tried to hide her shock. She had been half hoping that he would try to talk her out of it. Shrugging, she nodded as well, turned and left. Chet eyed the scene and asked, "Do I want to know?"

"Trust me, you don't." Frank closed the locker a little harder than he planned and stormed away. Joe walked up and asked, "Did she do what I think she did?"

"If you think that she just broke up with him, you're right." Chet sighed and added, "I don't think this is a matter of 'Let's wait a few days and then get back together'."

"You know, you're right."

Outside in the school parking lot, Taylor Westbrooke sat in front of her mentor in a black limo. The man smirked and handed her a photo. "These are the brothers. Find a way to get close to either of them. Inform us of what their cases are."

"And if I'm caught?" Taylor asked silently.

"You know better than that." The man's eyes darkened. Taylor nodded, her emerald green eyes seemed to dull. During her training, she had been forced to go days at a time without food if the instructors caught her. The 'punishments' were twice as bad. The man smiled and said, "Then I suggest you be careful and not be caught." Taylor nodded and grabbed her backpack. When she got out of the limo, she mentally became Taylor Westbrooke, the newest student that had transferred from London. No one would know that she was the only child of Al-Rousasa, the Assassin that had killed himself when they had prevented him from killing his target. Taylor had sworn revenge when she had learned of her father's death. Without her mentor knowing it, she had followed Frank for months after, learning all that she could about him. She knew that it wouldn't be troublesome to get him to like her. Now all she had to do was get him to break up with Callie Shaw. 'Wait…why am I worried about _her_? If needed, I'll simply do what I do best. Take what I want. It's what Father would have wanted.' Taylor was about to walk across the parking lot when she saw her target exit the school. Startled, she rethought her plan and hurried over, "Pardon me, but has school let out already?" Frank stopped and looked at her. Taylor smiled and continued in the false English accent. "My Governess told me that school should have just started."

"It has… I what I mean is that every one is headed to Homeroom."

"And you?"

"Not today."

"I see." Taylor attempted to sound confused, and realized that she was doing a very good job of it. Perhaps because that was how she felt.

"I don't want to trouble you with my problems."

"Maybe you could tell me all about it as you walk me to Homeroom." Taylor smiled, flirting slightly. Frank glanced back at the building and thought for a moment. He then turned back to Taylor. Taking this as a yes, she extended her hand. "I'm Taylor, and I hope that I'll be seeing a lot of you."


	3. Threats and phonecalls

Threats and phonecalls

Taylor and Callie have a heart to heart.

Note: the translations to each conversation is at the bottom. All conversations between Assassins and Taylor and when Taylor has gone into 'Assassin Mode' are done in German.

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Joe was starting to worry. The last time he saw Frank, he had been heading for the exit. 'He wouldn't just leave because of her.' Joe tried to convince himself. There were only seconds before Homeroom, but still no sign of Frank. Just when Joe was ready to stop looking, he saw Frank walking next to a girl wearing what looked to be a private school's uniform. Frank walked by, and Joe saw that the two were holding hands. 'Okay… that's something you don't see every day.'

Taylor was surprised when Frank had grabbed her hand when they reached the door. What shocked her even more was the fact that she enjoyed it. 'Don't forget why you're here. His brother killed your father. You're here to make him pay. You're using Frank in order to do so. Just because you're not going to kill him too doesn't mean you're not going to end up hurting him in the long run.' Taylor thought to herself. But still, she couldn't help but blush when Frank smiled at her. 'Face it; he's using you too. The only reason why he wants to be near you is to make that foolish girl jealous.' When they walked into Homeroom together, Taylor saw that the rumor mill was gathering information from sight only. She found herself wanting to let go of Frank so that they would only gossip about her and not him.

Frank spotted Callie gaping at him…the person that she had broke up with…holding hands with another girl. One student turned to the girl next to her and commented, "That was fast." Most of the girls in the class were angry that they had not been picked. When they heard about the break-up, they had been thinking of how they were going to try to get his attention. Now, it was far too clear that the new girl had won his interest simply by showing up. The teacher looked at the scene and raised an eyebrow. She knew that Frank and Callie had been going together since Junior High and that they had broken up that morning. She wondered if Frank was doing this to make Callie jealous or not. But still… "I take it you're the new student." The teacher had to get some kind of control.

"That's right."

"And you're name is?"

"Taylor Westbrooke."

"Ah, I hear that you're joining us from England. The Perfect Lady's School for Girls."

"That's right."

"Welcome to America. I hope you enjoy your stay."

"I will." Taylor looked at Frank, making it clear that she was already enjoying it.

After Homeroom, Frank was walking with Taylor and was once again holding her hand. He had taken her hand out of the habit of holding Callie's hand. It had taken a moment to remember that she wasn't Callie, but somehow this felt better than when he was with Callie. 'Just what I need. To start going out with someone else right after breaking up with Callie.' Frank glanced at her and was startled to find himself trying to guess what color her hair was. "Cherry red." Taylor said suddenly. Frank raised an eyebrow. Taylor continued. "I dyed it the second I left my other school. We were forbidden from changing anything about ourselves. My hair is normally red, but I wanted it to stand out more." Frank thought that it looked perfect for her. Without thinking, he said so. Taylor looked surprised for a moment and then said, "Merushi."

"Huh?"

"That was Japanese for 'thank you'."

"How do you say 'your welcome'?"

"Douitashimashite. That translates into 'You are welcome'." As they walked down the hall, neither saw Callie Shaw glaring at Taylor. She decided to have a heart to heart talk with her.

Taylor was changing for Gym in the girl's locker room when Callie Shaw walked up to her. "I heard that you're interested in Frank Hardy." Callie said without wasting time.

"So what if I am?"

"Stay away from him."

"Why, you're not dating him."

"That's not the point."

"You're wrong, it is." As she finished changing clothes, Taylor made sure that no one was watching and grabbed Callie. Slamming her against a locker, she snarled, "I don't like it when people think they control me. I already have a good reason to dislike you. Don't give me a reason to hate you."

"Who are you?" Callie struggled against the grip on her neck, but was unable to get away.

"I'm the person that is going to replace you. Do us both a favor and shut up and stay out of my way." Taylor leaned closer and smiled coldly, "I don't want to have to hurt you, little girl." She slammed Callie against the locker again to make sure that she got the point. Callie stared after her, carefully placing a hand where Taylor had been holding her.

Taylor walked toward the gym when her phone rang. Looking around she answered it,

"Kann ich Ihnen helfen?"

"Haben Sie sie getroffen?"

"Ja"

"Gut. Vergessen Sie nicht, was Sie machen sollen."

"Ich werde nicht. Für meinen Vater"

"Erfolg für Ihren Vater"

"Für meine Familie"

"Für meine Familie"

"Für die Meuchelmörder. Hat es Probleme gegeben?"

"Hat es Probleme gegeben?"

"Das Mädchen hat versucht, mich einzuschüchtern"

"Ich verstehe. Ist von ihr befreit. Töten Sie sie, wenn Sie müssen."

"Wenn ich das mache, werden sie etwas vermuten. Ich brauche einen Unfall, zu ihr zu geschehen. Etwas, das zu mir nicht gebunden werden kann."

"Sehr gut. Ich werde etwas arrangieren, zum Mädchen zu geschehen. Bis dann, vergewissern Sie sich, dass sie nicht sich einmischt, in den Sie nah zu Ihrem Ziel werden."

"Vielen Dank, Onkel."

"Sie sind willkommen, Taylor."

During gym class, Callie kept her distance, but for Taylor is wasn't enough. She wanted Callie to be very afraid of her. Waiting until the end of class and everyone had changed clothes and had left the locker room, Taylor grabbed Callie and shoved her into a locker. She then disguised her voice and growled, "Wenn Sie je mich wieder bedrohen, werde ich Sie wünschen machen, dass Sie nie geboren waren. Ich werde das mag von Ihnen nicht haben, der meine Chance an Rache vernichtet. Sie waren dort, als mein Vater gestorben ist, damit Sie macht, genauso wie schuldig. Ich bin hier geschickt worden, Joe zu töten, und nur ihn. Wenn ich meinen Weg gehabt habe, würde ich die ganze Stadt in einen Krater im Boden drehen. Stören Sie mich wieder nicht." She then slammed her fist against the locker and walked away. Callie burst into tears, frightened by what she had heard. She had no idea what had been said, but she was positive that all of it had been a threat.

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Translations for this chapter

May I help you?

Kann ich Ihnen helfen?

Have you met them?

Haben Sie sie getroffen?

Yes

Ja

Good. Do not forget what you are to do

Gut. Vergessen Sie nicht, was Sie machen sollen

I will not. For my father

Ich werde nicht. Für meinen Vater

Success for your father

Erfolg für Ihren Vater

For my family

Für meine Familie

For the Assassins

Für die Meuchelmörder

Have there been any problems?

Hat es Probleme gegeben?

The girl tried to intimidate me

Das Mädchen hat versucht, mich einzuschüchtern

I understand. Get rid of her. Kill her if you must.

Ich verstehe. Ist von ihr befreit. Töten Sie sie, wenn Sie müssen.

If I do that, they will suspect something. I need an accident to happen to her. Something that can not be tied to me.

Wenn ich das mache, werden sie etwas vermuten. Ich brauche einen Unfall, zu ihr zu geschehen. Etwas, das zu mir nicht gebunden werden kann.

Very well. I shall arrange something to happen to the girl. Until then, make sure that she does not interfere with you getting close to your target.

Sehr gut. Ich werde etwas arrangieren, zum Mädchen zu geschehen. Bis dann, vergewissern Sie sich, dass sie nicht sich einmischt, in den Sie nah zu Ihrem Ziel werden.

Thank you, uncle.

Vielen Dank, Onkel.

You are welcome, Taylor.

Sie sind willkommen, Taylor.

If you ever threaten me again, I will make you wish that you were never born. I will not have the likes of you ruining my chance at revenge. You were there when my father died, so that makes you just as guilty. I have been sent here to kill Joe and only him. If I had my way, I would turn the entire town into a crater in the ground. Do not trouble me again

Wenn Sie je mich wieder bedrohen, werde ich Sie wünschen machen, dass Sie nie geboren waren. Ich werde das mag von Ihnen nicht haben, der meine Chance an Rache vernichtet. Sie waren dort, als mein Vater gestorben ist, damit Sie macht, genauso wie schuldig. Ich bin hier geschickt worden, Joe zu töten, und nur ihn. Wenn ich meinen Weg gehabt habe, würde ich die ganze Stadt in einen Krater im Boden drehen. Stören Sie mich wieder nicht


	4. French and danger

Disclaimer: I only own Taylor. The rest belong to Mr. Dixon.

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Taylor glanced over at Frank during lunch. They were studying French, and Frank wasn't as good with it as he wanted to be. "I could teach you."

"You can speak French?"

"Et plusieurs autres langues. Je suis allé à une toute école de la fille, se rappeler? C'était notre façon d'échapper d'où nous étions. "

"What?"

I said, 'And several other languages. I went to an all girl's school, remember? It was our way of escaping from where we were'."

"Oh."

"Are you okay?"

"Fine. It's just that when you said that, you have a French accent."

"That's from all the books on tape. I never learned from a teacher. I listened to the language and learned to mimic the accent that way."

"Taylor, there is one thing that I could use your help saying."

"And that is?"

"Will you go out with me tonight?"

"J'aimerais sortir avec vous ce soir, demain la nuit et n'importe quelle nuit pour le reste de ma vie. Parce que je pense que je vous aime."

"What was that?"

"The answer that you wanted. I said, 'I would love to go out with you tonight, tomorrow night and any night for the rest of my life. Because I think I love you.' Frank stared at her for a moment and started to blush. Taylor grabbed her backpack and said, "I'm sorry."

"Taylor, wait." Frank grabbed her arm. What was that last part that you said in French?"

"Je pense que je vous aime."

"No, those last three words."

"Je vous aime."

"Taylor." Frank looked into Taylor's eyes and said with all seriousness, "Je vous aime."

"Vous m'aimez ?"

"Oui."

"Mais.. j'ai été seulement ici pour un jour."

"Il ne m'a pas d'importance. Je vous aime. C'était l'amour à première vue."

"Alors je serais honoré sortir avec vous. Pouvoir nous dine premièrement avec votre famille. Je n'ai jamais eu une maison un repas cuisiné. J'ai été envoyé à une école privée à un très jeune âge."

"Je serais honoré."

Joe watched the events and asked Chet, "What was that all about?"

"What?"

"That conversation."

"Simple, he asked her out, she said yes and then told him that she loved him. He stopped her from leaving and told her that he loved her. She then asked him if that was what he said and he said that it was. She asked them if they could have dinner at your house and he said yes."

"You know French?"

"Hey, when your brother constantly bug me with it, I'm going to know it sooner or later."

"Wait, if Frank needed help studying French…" Joe trailed off. Frank was in Advanced Placement French. "Never mind."

"I thought you'd say that."

"But when did you take French?"

"Last year. Iola talked me into it." Chet smiled at the memory. Joe remembered that Iola had been talking about traveling around France before college. He looked thoughtful. Al-Rousasa had destroyed more lives than anyone would understand. Shaking himself mentally, he heard Chet ask, "I wonder how Callie's taking the break-up." Joe spotted her glaring daggers at Taylor. That was a clear answer as to how she was taking it.

The Gray Man walked up to the front door of the affluent mansion. He knew for a fact that Al-Rousasa's daughter was in America and was in Bayport. He had came into town to warn Frank and Joe about the danger that they were in. Fenton was out of town on a case and Laura Hardy had promised to let her husband know the moment that he returned. The Gray Man had asked her not to tell him that he was in town, and that he wanted to make sure that no one knew. Mrs. Hardy thought that The Gray Man was an old friend from college who wore so much Gray that he simply became known as 'the Gray Man' as a nickname. Only Frank, Joe and Fenton knew the truth. Just as he reached the door, The Gray Man saw it open and had a gun inches from his face. "Mr. Arthur E. Gray, also known as the Gray Man. So nice of you to come to my home." The woman that was holding the gun smirked. I knew that you would be in town sooner or later to warn the Hardy family. Too bad you will not live long enough to pass on that warning." She then motioned for him to enter. The Gray Man walked in. He saw ten other Assassins standing around with guns drawn. "We are ready to kill you if you try to run." She turned and told the other Assassins, "Wenn er versucht, zu entkommen, bringt ihn hinter und tötet ihn."

'If my German isn't that rusty she just said, 'If he tries to escape, bring him back and kill him'. Small comfort right now.' The Gray Man thought to himself. The woman motioned over to a door with the gun. The door was opened a set of stairs leading down could be seen. Walking down the stairs, the Gray Man winced when the door was slammed shut. A young woman's voice called out from below, "Who's there?"

"A friend." The Gray Man walked down the stairs, barely able to see his hand in front of his face.

"Wait." A flashlight was turned on. "They'll turn on the lights in another hour or so. I don't know what time it is."

"Why are they holding you here?"

"They were talking about letting me go a few days ago, but something happened. I was working on the Philip Walker campaign when…"

"Wait… Philip Walker? That was a few weeks ago.' The Gray Man gaped at the young woman that was holding the flashlight. "But that's impossible."

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_A smiley face in the e-mail of who ever can guess who the Gray Man is talking to. The biggest hint is the fact that the young woman mentioned Philip Walker._


	5. Dinner, threats and drugs

Iola Morton shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, but it's very possible. They thought that they could hold me hostage, but then… everyone started acting as if I had died in that explosion, so they couldn't risk letting me go. They've been trying to convince me to join them by saying that it was Joe's fault to start with."

"Why are they trying to murder him so badly?"

"Come on! I may be a civilian, but even I know the answer to that question. Al-Rousasa was their best Assassin. He could get into places no one else could even think about. Why wouldn't they want to kill Joe for that?" The Gray Man nodded. He had known for a fact that Al-Rousasa's daughter would want revenge, the main reason he had not wanted Frank or Joe in Paris. There had been a good chance that the girl would have followed them there. Iola walked over to a pile of crates and looked through one until she found two that were safe to use as chairs. Dragging them over, she asked, "How do you Frank and Joe?"

"It's a long story."

"Then I hope you can tell it fast."

"Why?"

"They were expecting you. They plan to kill you to make sure that you don't escape and warn Frank and Joe."

"Why?"

"Contact has been made. Al-Rousasa's daughter is at the school with them."

Frank watched Taylor as she and Aunt Gertrude were helping with dinner. While Taylor wasn't very good at certain things, she was a fast learner. Mrs. Hardy was surprised to meet someone that was as gifted with languages as Taylor while Aunt Gertrude was marveling over her accent. Fenton Hardy had arrived a moment before Frank and Joe and was watching, surprised that Frank was already talking to another girl so soon after breaking up with Callie. Joe was in the den, claiming that he had homework. Fenton was tempted to go and ask what was going on, but decided against it.

Joe sighed as he tried using the Network's systems. Frank was the one that understood it, but at the moment was too busy pretending to be in a conversation with their father while he was watching Taylor. Joe finally found the file that he was looking for:

NAME: WESTBROOKE, TAYLOR

D.O.B: JULY 4th

HEIGHT: 5"9 ½"

WEIGHT: 147 lb.

HAIR COLOR: DEEP RED

EYE COLOR: EMERALD GREEN

BIOLOGICAL MOTHER'S NAME: CHANNING-WESTBROOKE, CLARA

BIOLOGICAL FATHER'S NAME: UNKNOWN

GUARDIAN: CHANNING, DIANE

CURRENT SCHOOL: BAYVILLE HIGH

FORMER SCHOOL: THE PERFECT LADY'S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

PLACE OF BIRTH: LONDON, ENGLAND

INFORMATION: WESTBROOKE WAS BORN IN LONDON TO A FORMER NETWORK AGENT THAT WAS SENT UNDERCOVER FOR REASONS THAT STILL CARRY HCI-236544 LISTING. MOTHER WAS KILLED ON UNDERCOVER NETWORK AGENT. FILE STILL UNDER HCI-236544. WESTBROOKE'S FATHER IS LISTED AS UNKNOWN UNDER HCI-236544. ALL OTHER INFORMATION IS UNDER HCI-236544 AND CANNOT BE REVEALED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF MR. ARTHUR E. GRAY.

Joe blinked in surprise and then looked up HCI-236544. The definition didn't make him feel any better. "HCI-236544 stands for Highly Classified Information. This information must be denied to all, no matter their rank unless permission is given by the person that made the classification in order to prevent any dangerous information from being leaked to the Assassins." He read aloud. Joe turned off the computer and sighed. He then jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Taylor smiled at him and said, "You're father sent me to let you know that it's time for dinner."

During dinner, Taylor was more than happy to tell them about her old school. "The teachers were very strict. Once I was late to class by one second. They had me do lines for the rest of the class."

"What do you mean?"

"I had to write close to one hundred times 'I will not be late to class'. It filled the board!"

"That's terrible!" Mrs. Hardy gasped.

"Well, it was better than Physical Education. We were just learning archery a few weeks before I left. If you missed the target, you had to run ten laps. And if you missed the Bulls-Eye, that was twenty."

"But why?"

"They thought that 'proper young ladies' should be highly gifted in sports, but didn't sweat too much. Horseback riding was before that, and fencing before that."

"It sounds like fun."

"It was, but at the same time, very hard. I learned the majority of the languages that I know while I was there. But, instead of learning from the instructors, I learned them on my own."

"How old were you when you started at the school?"

"I was…eight years old."

"I see. Did you enjoy it?"

"I didn't enjoy it all the time. But whenever I was thinking about quitting, I thought of my father, and how it would make him proud."

"Where are your parents?"

"They died. My mother years ago, and my father recently, he was murdered."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. I miss him, but I know one day, I'll make him very proud." Taylor smiled for a moment and added, "I will make him very proud of me."

When she returned home, Taylor looked at her mentor. "They fell for it."

"And the bugs?"

"Planted where you told me. Except for the computer. Joe was using it at the time."

"Good. Did you get the code?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"Why are we using English, Mentor?"

"I want our guest to understand us." The man pointed to the Gray Man, who was tied to a chair. Taylor glared at him as she drew the gun from its hiding place around her ankle. Before she could use it, her mentor stopped her. "No, child. You may kill him later. For now, we let him live."

"Forgive me, Mentor."

"You are forgiven, child. But remember, we need him for now."

"Understood, Mentor."

"Gut, Kind. Sie haben nie mich enttäuscht. Immer macht, als Sie, Kind erzählt sind. Ich will Sie nicht verletzen".

"Ich werde, Mentor gehorchen".

"Gut. Bringen Sie dem anderen Haus die Brüder morgen. Ich will sie treffen".

"Ja Mentor". When Taylor left the room, the Gray Man was surprised that her 'mentor' was going to let him live, and was also confused by this.

"Do not look so shocked. I have my reason's for keeping you alive. I am going to use you to gain control of Frank Hardy."

"And why do you want him?"

"I have my reasons. None of them concern you, but I do have my reasons."

"Humor me."

"Very well. I suppose I could do that much. You see, I know everything that there is to know about young Mr. Hardy. I see potential in him that the Assassins can use that will give us our dreams in a matter of days."

"In other words?"

"He has the skill needed to take the place of our fallen Al-Rousasa. In truth, I see him surpassing Al-Rousasa. And then add his talents to Taylor's, they would be an unstoppable team."

"And you think I'm going to help you?"

"I don't see how you would have a choice." The man pulled a syringe from his pocket and walked over. The Gray Man struggled as the man injected the drug. The man took a step back and smirked. "Thorazine, Mr. Gray, has many side effects. I simply broke down the chemical components and made sure that you would only feel the side effects that I wanted you to." The man ticked each one off on his fingers, "Confusion, loss of balance control, mask-like face, shuffling walk, bizarre dreams, excitement, clumsiness, headaches, pain in joints, lethargy, memory loss, disorganized thinking, impaired motor, mild euphoria."

"W..Why?"

"Simple, if you escape, and I don't think so, they wouldn't listen to you. The police would just think that you're a harmless nuisance and would give you back to us if we came dressed as doctors looking for a lost patient. You see, Americans are so trusting of doctors."

"W..won't get away with this. Fen…Fenton will stop you."

"Oh, I plan on dealing with him in a different way. I plan on having him out of town for a few days. By the time he returns, it will be too late." The man turned and walked out, laughing. Two Assassins entered and carried the Gray Man upstairs and threw him into a room. They then closed and locked the door. As best as he could, the Gray Man went to the window and found that it had bars that were on the outside. He made his way to the bed and fell on it, uncertain how he was going to get out of the mess that he was in.

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Translations:

"Good, child. You have never disappointed me. Always do as you are told, child. I do not want to hurt you."

"Gut, Kind. Sie haben nie mich enttäuscht. Immer macht, als Sie, Kind erzählt sind. Ich will Sie nicht verletzen".

"I will obey, Mentor."

"Ich werde, Mentor gehorchen".

"Good. Bring the brothers to the other house tomorrow. I want to meet them."

"Gut. Bringen Sie dem anderen Haus die Brüder morgen. Ich will sie treffen".

"Yes, Mentor."

"Ja Mentor".

-

I smiley the following people:

Red Hardy

Wilwarin Breila

And Ragna ICE. I will send the real thing when I get a chance.

And I ask the following of Ragna ICE(land:

Don't bite your head off. I'm a MAJOR fan of Iola, and don't forget, noone REALLY saw her die. In the book, the person that they were following turned the corner and then there was the explosion. Every one just guessed that she was at the car.

Oh! And to answer Wilwarin Breila's review for Chapter 2; I don't speak German at all. I just got lucky and found a very good translation web-site.


	6. Fights and following 1

After Homeroom, Taylor was walking down the hall, when she bumped into Callie. Glaring at her for a moment, Callie snarled, "I don't know how you did it, but Frank isn't speaking to me."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't. I caught that little scene in the cafeteria. You're trying to make me jealous and it's not going to work. So, you can stop you're little games and leave him alone."

"Are you trying to say that I am leading him on just to annoy you?"

"That's right."

"Little girl, I'm not going to tell you this again. I want you to stay away from me because I do not tolerate threats from a _child_ like you. I fell in love with him from the moment I met him. It's not my fault that he feels the same way. Perhaps it's because he felt nothing for you at all."

"You're lying." Callie choked out in anger.

"Am I? Let's see, you broke up with him that same day, yesterday, to be exact. He starts to leave school, no doubt due to the fact that he couldn't stand being near a criança like you."

"A WHAT?"

"I see you don't speak Portuguese. That word I used means child. Because that's all that you are, a child that thinks she's a teen. Do us both a favor, menininha, and by the way, that means little girl, stop trying to play games that you don't understand." Callie screamed loudly, drawing the attention of everyone in the hall. She then charged forward without thinking, and swung at Taylor. Taylor positioned herself the right way and ended up punched in the eye. She fell to the floor, resisting the urge to use her fighting skills. A teacher charged up and grabbed Callie's arm. "Miss Shaw, what do you think you're doing?"

"I…She…"

"Are you alright, Miss Westbrooke?" The teacher ignored Callie and turned to look at Taylor. Taylor whimpered and began to cry. Several students were gathered around.

"What's going on here?" A second teacher stormed up.

"Callie decked her for no reason."

"Yeah, she went psycho and started yelling and punched Taylor."

"She didn't stand a chance."

"Callie started the whole thing."

"Taylor didn't even swing at her."

"Man, talk about jealous. Callie's been acting weird ever since lunch yesterday." Several students started talking at the same time. Both teachers glared at Callie and the second was about to help Taylor stand when Frank and Joe hurried up. Frank helped Taylor stand. Callie gaped at the scene for a moment and then tried to explain again.

"That is more than enough out of you, Miss Shaw. I don't care what the problem is, but that does not give you the right to strike another student." The first teacher said quickly. He then turned and said to Taylor, "Miss Westbrooke, please don't judge the other students by her behavior. I can assure you that this type of thing is not tolerated at any American High School."

"Thank you, sir." Taylor leaned against Frank as she tried to stop crying. "I don't know what I said that would cause her to hit me. I'm sorry for any trouble that I may have caused."

"Miss Westbrooke, you clearly did nothing wrong. I will take Miss Shaw to the principal. Perhaps he can talk some sense into her." The teacher then walked away, Callie in tow.

In the Principal's Office, Callie looked upset when her parents walked in. The principal decided to cut to the chase, "Miss Shaw's behavior today can not be put up with, so therefore, I have decided to suspend her for five weeks."

"Is the other student alright?" Mrs. Shaw asked, nervous about what had happened.

"Luckily the only thing that happened to her was a black eye from what I'm told. Miss Shaw, I hope that you will behave yourself from now on."

"Yes, sir." Callie mentally fumed. She would get even with Taylor. No matter what.

Outside the school, a black car was waiting. When the Shaw family got into their car and left, the black car followed them.


	7. Fights, arrests, and brainwashing

Please see my note at the bottom concerning the translations

-

During the car ride, Callie was silent. She had offered to meet them at home rather than leave her car at school. Her father instead called a towing company and asked them to hold the car for a few days. "Callie." Mrs. Shaw turned in the seat and looked at her daughter. "You do know that you got lucky that they didn't call Chief Collig. Don't you understand that you could have been arrested?

"But it was her fault!"

"Callie, I hope that you're not saying that she deserved to be punched like that. What made you even think about doing such a thing?"

"She said…"

"I thought that we raised you better than that. There are only two months left in the school year. You've been suspended for five weeks. That means you're going to miss a full month and an extra week. I'm sorry, but that can not be tolerated. So you'll be grounded until the end of summer. I just hope we can find a private college that will accept you."

"Mom!"

"We are paying your tuition, young lady. That means we decided for you since you want to act like a child."

"But that's not fair!"

"I hope you've learned your lesion."

"This is not fair!"

"The only way you're going to avoid being grounded is to get your own place with your own money. Can you afford to do that?"

"No."

"So that means the only time we want to see you is during meals. The rest of the time, you'll be up in your room, doing the school work that they send you every afternoon."

"Yes, mother." Callie glanced at her father, pained that he didn't take her side. When they reached the house, Callie hurried inside and went to her room, where she cried until she fell asleep.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Callie's parents were talking. "I don't know what's gotten into her." Mr. Shaw sighed as he fell into a chair.

"I know. Wasn't it just yesterday she was so nervous about her first date?"

"Feels like it."

"Now what?"

"I'll call the security company and have them send someone out. After we change the code, she won't be able to sneak out."

"I can't believe this is our own daughter we have to treat like a prisoner."

"Neither can I."

The two men grinned at each other. They had been called by Taylor and told to bug the Shaw house and car. She then gave them orders to place a tracking device on the cars of the parents and Callie. They had an Assassin working for the security company that had installed the burglar alarms for the family. The two men waited until they got a phone call. "Die Eltern haben gerufen. Sie sollen in gehen und sollen ihnen mit den neuen Codes helfen".

"Hat verstanden".

Taylor waited until lunch to talk to Frank and Joe. She was wearing a pair of sunglasses to hide the black eye. Frank hugged her and said, "I'm sorry about that."

"It wasn't your fault. I'm just sorry that you saw me crying like a baby."

"Who can blame you?" Joe was unable to understand why Callie would do such a thing.

"I was wondering something. You see, the gentleman that helped me get here would like to meet you today. Is that alright?"

"Sure. We don't have anything else planned." Frank said after a glance at his brother, who nodded in agreement.

"You'll love him. He doesn't speak English unfortunately."

The Gray Man struggled to remember who he was and where he was. A 'nurse' came in with his meals and treated him as if she knew him. She had an accent that he couldn't place, and at times spoke in a language that that he didn't know. Looking out of the window, he was unsure, but he had the feeling that it was important that he leave the house as quickly as he could.

Taylor unlocked the front door and turned to look at the Hardy brothers. "It's not much to look at, but it feels like home." The house that she claimed wasn't much to look at was a large mansion that looked as if it were worth something in the billions. After closing the door when Joe had walked in, Taylor called loudly, "L'oncle, nous sommes ici."

"Let me guess, you learned some of your French from him." Frank commented.

"No, I didn't meet him until I was seventeen. By that time I was very fluent in the language." She smiled at the man that was walking over to them. "This is my uncle, Vachel-Thiery Channing"

"Je le prends ceci est le jeune homme qui vous avait hier si heureux." Vachel-Thiery smiled at Frank.

"Cela a raison." Taylor turned her head to hide the fact that she was blushing. Frank started translating for Joe, who looked confused.

"Plaire, allons dans l'étude."

"A le cuisinier a fait n'importe aujourd'hui quoi doux ?"

"Juste son Chocolat Double normal, ses Petits Gâteaux de Fragment de Chocolat."

"Je sonnerai pour elle amener quelques-uns."

"Non, me laisser. J'aimerais pour vous donner une tournée de la maison à ces jeunes hommes."

"Vous nous joindrez ?"

"Non, je vous attendrai dans l'étude. L'anglais est toujours très difficile pour moi."

"Très bien, l'Oncle."

"Attente. J'ai changé d'avis de quelque chose. J'aimerais parler avec le jeune homme qui a gagné votre coeur si rapidement. Seul." Her uncle stopped them as they started to walk away.

"Plaire ne pas me gêner, l'Oncle." Taylor tilted her head to one side.

"Avoir la foi, cher enfant. Avoir la foi. Parce que votre mère et votre père, bénir leurs âmes ne seront pas obligé à faire ici ceci. Votre tante, la personne nous aurions dû vous garder de, n'est pas ici. C'est maintenant mon travail."

"Je vous aime l'Oncle." Taylor went over to Vachel-Thiery and hugged him.

"Et j'aime vous aime la fille que je n'avais jamais." He said as he returned the hug.

"My uncle would like to speak to Frank alone." Taylor explained to them. "I asked him not to embarrass me, and he promised that he wouldn't." Taylor then led Joe on a tour of the mansion. Frank followed Vachel-Thiery into the study. Vachel-Thiery started the conversation. "Je le prends que vous pouvez parler quelque français."

"Oui, monsieur."

"Une langue charmante, le français. Vous pouvez exprimer véritablement que vous vous sentez. Mais cela peut être dit de n'importe quelle langue. Elle a été élevée par ma soeur parce que j'étais incapable de s'occuper d'elle. Je ne l'ai pas rencontré jusqu' à récemment. Quand elle était dix-sept, je pense. Sa tante était une femme froide. Taylor ne devrait jamais lui être envoyé."

"Qu'est-il arrivé à ses parents?"

"Son père était occupé. Trop occupé pour l'élever. Sa mère, nous part. Son père est mort récemment. Nous tout coup manqué lui. J'ai été préparé à votre arrivée aujourd'hui. Je suis toujours les traditions de France, et le vin d'invités d'offre. Ceci ne contient pas d'alcool." Vachel-Thiery offered Frank a wine glass filled with something that looked to have a purple tint to it.

"Vous remercier." Frank took a sip from the glass and winced slightly.

"Il ne peut pas avoir d'alcool, mais il a toujours le goût comme s'il a fait. Ceci vient de mon vignoble privé. Cela est comment je suis devenu si riche. Mes vins sont achetés par tant partout dans le monde. Mes soeurs et j'ai grandi en haut sur le vignoble. Quand notre père a passé, il les part me, parce que j'étais le plus vieux. Ni la soeur m'a pardonné. Mais cela est dans le passé. Nous devons parler de l'avenir. Ma nièce a des sensations pour vous. Pour être des jeunes et dans l'amour. Elle me dit que vous vous êtes brisé avec une jeune dame hier." Vachel-Thiery smiled gently.

"Elle s'est brisé avec moi. Monsieur, je ne peux pas l'expliquer, mais j'aime votre nièce beaucoup."

"Je peux voir cela. Vous deux a ce regard de nouvel amour trouvé. Mais est averti, il y a ceux-là qui souhaiterait voir cet amour divisé."

"Que signifiez-vous?"

"Votre frère a le regard pareil dans ses yeux que mes soeurs avaient quand ils ont entendu que j'étais d'hériter tout qu'appartenu à notre père. Je suis désolé, je ne souhaite pas vous tourner contre votre frère. J'aimerais entendre plus de vous."

Taylor glanced at her watch as she led Joe around the library. "Most of these books are the original print."

"What do you mean?"

"As in they are the first one's to be printed. Many were autographed by their author."

"In example?"

"This one." Taylor pulled one off the shelf carefully. Joe looked inside. It had the signature of Shakespeare. Taylor smiled at the look of shock on Joe's face. "My uncle contacted several people when he inherited my grandfather's vineyards and began his dream of collecting things that were very close to being one of a kind." She then continued the tour.

In the study Vachel-Thiery looked at Frank, who was close to being unconscious. He walked close and said in clear English, "Can you hear me?"

"Yes."

"Good." Vachel-Thiery nodded and said, "That means the drug is doing its job. I want you to listen very carefully. Do not behave any different than you normally do. Do not even indicate to Taylor that something has happened. I want you to continue as normal until I give you the signal. When they return, we merely had a talk. That is all any one needs to know. Also, we you hear me say L'ange de mort, you will return to this state and receive my instructions. And during that time, you will call me Mentor. Our conversations will take place in English, not French. When you are talking to me on a phone, make sure that you are alone. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. When I snap my fingers, you will act as if we were in the middle of a conversation." Vachel-Thiery then returned to where he had been standing and snapped his fingers. Frank blinked once and turned with interest back to the conversation…in French.

Joe listened as Frank and Vachel-Thiery were still talking to each other in French when he and Taylor returned. "I take it you had fun."

"Her uncle was telling me about when he had tried to go swimming with Taylor's mother."

"I remember this story." Taylor laughed as she closed the door. "Uncle was trying to scare her by telling her that there was a snake in the pool. But it turned out that there was one."

"How did it get in there?" Joe looked at them in confusion.

"My aunt put it there." Taylor informed him. Joe shook his head sadly. At that moment a woman walked in with a tray that held four drinking glasses of milk and a large plate of cookies that seemed to give off the aura of being stuffed with chocolate. Taylor went and picked up a cookie. "You spoil me."

"Of course. If you had been at home, where you belonged, I would have spoiled you twice as bad." The woman had a French accent. She looked as if she were only in her fifties. Her dress was modest and gave the feeling that she had once worked as a nanny. Taylor hugged her and said, "I wish I had known you sooner."

After she handed out the glasses, the woman placed the tray down and left the study. Joe watched her and then asked, "Who was that?"

"Annette. She was the nanny for my mother, uncle and aunt. Don't let her looks deceive you. She may look like she's around fifty-one, but from what I've heard, she turned down several marriage proposals from my grandfather." As it grew later, Vachel-Thiery invited Frank and Joe to stay for dinner. After dinner, Frank and Joe left. Taylor watched them leave from the door. Annette walked over and seemed angry. She then growled"Wir hätten damit rechts dann gemacht werden sollen".

"Mentor wünscht, dass uns warten. Wünschen Sie, ihm zu trotzen"

"Nein aber Ihr Vater. .."

"Mein Vater würde verstehen, dass um zu zerstören Ihre Beute, Sie müssen zuerst sie macht unglaubwürdig, wegnimmt irgendeine Hilfe, die sie empfangen können. Dann machen Sie sie zweifeln themself. Und als sie den niedrigsten Punkt erreicht haben, den sie können, zerstören Sie sie".

"Sie lieben wahrheitsgemäß ihn".

"Erzählen Sie mich, wie dass Ihre Angelegenheit ist? Ihre Aufgabe soll sich vergewissern, dass nichts schief geht".

"Ich kenne meine Aufgabe".

"Macht dann es. Behalten Sie Ihren Rat zu sich".

Joe walked into the door at home and said, "That was interesting."

"Very much so." Frank closed the door and added, "Taylor's uncle is a little overprotective."

"Why's that?"

"From what he said, Taylor was sent to her aunt at a young age. But she wanted nothing to do with her, and sent her to a private school the second that she could."

"Sounds rough."

"Agreed." Joe went to talk to their parents when the phone rang. Frank grabbed it and said, "Hardy residence."

"May I speak with Frank Hardy?" It was a man's voice, but Frank wasn't certain as to who it was.

"Speaking."

"Very good, L'ange de mort." Frank's eyes glazed slightly. Looking around he went into the den with the cordless phone and closed the door. "Are you alone?" Vachel-Thiery asked him.

"Yes, Mentor."

"Good. I want you to make a copy of every file your father has. Bring them to me when you are done. But come to this address." Vachel-Thiery rattled off an address. "Commit that to memory."

"Done, Mentor."

"Good. I then want you to enter the Network's computer system. Copy what information that you can and bring that with you. Do this, and do not get caught. I want all of this done after the others are asleep and can not disturb you. Do you understand?"

"Yes mentor."

"Very good." Vachel-Thiery snapped his fingers and hung up. Frank hung up the phone and went into the kitchen where the rest of the family was.

Mr. Shaw watched the men as they helped input the new code. When they were finished, he paid them, signed the paperwork and gave them a tip. The two men thanked him and left.

"Die Aufgabe ist gemacht".

"Sehr gut".

"Wir werden heute Abend beginnen".

"Macht so".

At midnight, Frank went into the den and turned on the computer. After hacking into the Network's computers, he downloaded and copied every single file that he could. After storing everything on two ZIP disks, he destroyed all evidence that would point to him and then went to his father's office and repeated the process. He then went to the address that Vachel-Thiery had given him. Annette was waiting at the door. She then led him into a large room where Vachel-Thiery was waiting for him. Tied to a chair was the Gray Man. Vachek-Thiery smirked at the tied up Network agent and said, "I told you that I would win each part of this war battle by battle."

"Frank…What…why are you doing here?" The Gray Man struggled to say.

"He is here doing what I asked of him. He has given me the beginning of the end of not only the Network, but his father as well. Vachel-Thiery laughed coldly. "I will destroy all those that stood in my way, and in the way of the Assassins."

"The only thing you want revenge for is our stopping you from stealing money. But don't get your hopes up. Frank won't help you. He'll help his brother and father stop you."

"Frank." Vachel-Thiery held out a gun. "Shoot him." Frank took the gun and walked over to the Gray Man and aimed the gun at him. With out pausing, he pulled the trigger. There was a click from the gun. It wasn't loaded. "I told you, he's under my control." Vachel-Thiery joined them and took the gun back. "Do not doubt my word again."

Callie tossed and turned for half an hour. She then stood and went to the front door, certain that she had heard something. Punching in what she thought was the code, Callie opened the front door. The alarm went off, shattering the silence in protest to having the door open. Her parents rushed down stairs at the sound and stopped when they saw her standing there. "What do you think you're doing?" Mr. Shaw demanded.

"I thought I heard something outside my window." Callie explained as her mother went to turn off the alarm. Her father went and checked around the house. When he came back, he shook his head. "I know I heard something outside."

"Callie, go to your room." Mrs. Shaw glared at her daughter.

"But mom!"

"It's bad enough you get in trouble at school. But now you were trying to sneak out of the house." Callie was about to protest when she realized that she hadn't taken time to change into her pajamas. Under the dark glare of both parents, she went to her room.

Officer Con Riley looked around the house after he arrived. He concluded the same thing that Mr. Shaw had. There was no one near the house. He drove away, feeling sorry for Callie's parents. This was going to be tough to report in to Chief Collig.

After school, at the mall, most people were busy shopping. Chet Morton, Biff Hooper, and Phil Cohen were busy giving a pizza order to Tony Prito at Mr. Pizza. Tony laughed when they were done. He then asked, "Has any one seen Frank and Joe lately?"

"Yeah. Remember how we told you Frank and Callie broke up?"

"Yeah."

"Well, this is what we neglected to tell you. Frank started going out with another girl…the same day."

"No way!"

"Yes way. And yesterday, Callie decked her." Tony leaned against the counter and shook his head. There was something fishy about the whole thing. He could only hope that Frank knew what he was doing. He then decided to go and see Callie to find out what was going on.

Callie glared at Taylor who was holding her assignments from school. Mrs. Shaw came to the door and smiled at Taylor. "Thank you so much for bringing this."

"That's alright. I wanted to make sure that there was no antagonism between myself and Callie."

"That was so sweet of you." Mrs. Shaw beamed at Taylor.

'I don't get it. Any other time, mom and dad would have been on my side. Why is it they think I'm making stuff up?' Callie pondered as Mrs. Shaw invited Taylor. Callie took the schoolwork from Taylor and felt an overwhelming hatred for her. Trying to shake it off, Callie followed them to the kitchen. Mrs. Shaw poured tea for herself and Taylor and they started talking as if they were old friends. "Where's Frank? I thought you'd be hanging all over him." Callie snarled without thinking.

"We thought that we were rushing things and decided to take it slow." Taylor calmly replied. Mrs. Shaw hissed at her daughter to stop.

"That's funny, you went through all that trouble to wrap him around your little finger, and here you are talking about 'taking it slow'."

"I fail to see how my dating Frank, if we decide to date, is your concern."

"THAT'S IT!" In a blind rage, Callie tackled Taylor and tried to strangle her. Mrs. Shaw screamed in shock and started trying to pull her daughter off Taylor. When she was able to, Mrs. Shaw jerked Callie off. Taylor backed away on her elbows, coughing as she gasped for air. Callie fought against her mother, trying to get her hands on Taylor again. When she broke free, Callie began strangling her again. Mrs. Shaw screamed for her husband to help her as she fought to pull her daughter away again. Taylor wildly fumbled in her pocket and when Mrs. Shaw was tossed off by Callie's struggling to get away, Taylor nailed Callie with a stun gun. Callie yelped and released her grip. Taylor then shoved her away and started to run, but crashed into Mr. Shaw, who was running in. Taylor, completely panicked, struggled against him, trying to escape. Mrs. Shaw got up and tackled Callie. When she was able to pin Callie, Mrs. Shaw told her husband what had happened. Moving fast, Mr. Shaw picked Taylor up and made her sit on a chair. Mrs. Shaw pulled Callie up and shoved her to her father and went to comfort Taylor who was still terrified. Mr. Shaw forced Callie into her room and glared at her. Callie began to calm down and stared at her father. "Daddy, what wrong?"

"Do you expect me to believe that you have no idea what you just did?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I want you to follow me. Do not say a word to Taylor or your mother." He then led the way back to the kitchen. Mrs. Shaw was examining Taylor's neck as the young woman was trying to sip water. Callie's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the dark bruising around Taylor's neck. Mr. Shaw's grim voice made both girls jump, "I'm afraid we're going to have to call the police."

"Daddy!" Callie gawked at him.

"Look at what you did. Do you think we can't report this?" her father demanded.

"Sir, please. I'm alright." Taylor protested.

"No, I can't allow my daughter to attack someone like that. She was trying to kill you." Mr. Shaw went to the phone and called the police. When Con Riley arrived, he clearly was shocked that Callie would do such a thing, and knew that he had no other choice but to place her under arrest.

Tony stared at the scene as he pulled up. He got out and went over to a neighbor. "What happened?"

"Callie attacked that poor girl, tried to strangle her twice. If she hadn't used a stun gun on her, that girl would have been dead."

Tony nodded his thanks and hurried over. Taylor was seated on the porch as an EMT examined her neck. "Just some light bruising. You got lucky. I suggest that you go home and rest." The EMT told her. He glanced at Tony and then turned to look at him. "Hey, Tony. Could you drop her off at Frank's house? I trust him to keep an eye on her."

"Sure, if she'll let me." Tony was interested in meeting Taylor.

"But what about my car?"

"You can leave it here. We're not going to post bail for Callie until you come and get it, or send someone else for it." Mrs. Shaw told her. Taylor agreed with everyone and left with Tony.

Joe was working on the computer when he felt as if he were being watched. Turning, he saw Frank standing in the door. "Do you mind not sneaking up on me? I don't need you scaring years off my life."

"Sorry about that." Frank joined him and asked, "What are you working on?"

"History." Joe sighed and glared at the computer. "Tell me this will be easier next year."

"Sorry, I can't lie. Too bad I won't be there to help you out."

"Rub it in, rub it in." Joe gave Frank a mock glare. "It's bad enough you're graduating, but knowing my luck, I'll get every single teacher that you had." A knock at the door grabbed his attention. Joe stood and went to the door with Frank following him. Outside was Taylor and Tony Prito. Tony was helping Taylor as they walked inside. "Taylor, what happened?" Joe asked her in confusion.

"She was attacked by Callie." Tony answered for her. Frank and Joe gaped at each other. "Tried to strangle her twice." Frank led Taylor into the den and helped her into a chair. Joe stopped Tony from following. The two shared a look and Joe said, "I'll be back in a minute."

At the police station, Con Riley snuck him into to talk to Callie. "Callie, what were you thinking?"

"I don't know. I just…felt this urge to get rid of her. I don't know."

"Callie, you've got to stop being so jealous of her."

"I'm NOT!" Callie stood and glared at Joe. She then hissed, "Get out, Joe. If you don't…" She then pounced and wrapped her fingers around his neck. When officers pried her off, Riley motioned for Joe to follow him.

"I'm afraid Callie's got bigger problems."

"Like what?"

"Not only for what she did to the Westbrooke girl, but was she just tried to do to you. And we searched her room. I didn't tell her parents, but she's got drug charges pending also."

"Wait…This is Callie we're talking about."

"I know. But the evidence was there. The baggies have her prints and no one else's. Sorry, Joe. We're not going to let her out on bail." Without them knowing, an officer was listening. He then grinned as he walked away.

-

Sorry I couldn't set all of it up the way I normally do, the next chapter is screaming to get out of my head, but here are the Translations to the conversations:

"Die Eltern haben gerufen. Sie sollen in gehen und sollen ihnen mit den neuen Codes helfen"."The parents have called. You are to go in and assist them with the new codes."

"Hat verstanden"."Understood."

"L'oncle, nous sommes ici.""Uncle, we're here."

"Je le prends ceci est le jeune homme qui vous avait hier si heureux."

"Cela a raison."

"Plaire, allons dans l'étude."

"A le cuisinier a fait n'importe aujourd'hui quoi doux ? "

"Juste son Chocolat Double normal, ses Petits Gâteaux de Fragment de Chocolat."

"Je sonnerai pour elle amener quelques-uns."

"Non, me laisser. J'aimerais pour vous donner une tournée de la maison à ces jeunes hommes."

"Vous nous joindrez ?"

"Non, je vous attendrai dans l'étude. L'anglais est toujours très difficile pour moi."

"Très bien, l'Oncle."

"I take it this is the young man that had you so happy yesterday."

"That's right."

"Please, let us go into the study."

"Has the cook made anything sweet today"

"Just her normal Double Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookies."

"I'll ring for her to bring some."

"No, let me. I would like for you to give these young men a tour of the house."

"Will you join us"

"No, I'll wait for you in the study. English is still very difficult for me."

"Very well, Uncle."

"Attente. J'ai changé d'avis de quelque chose. J'aimerais parler avec le jeune homme qui a gagné votre coeur si rapidement. Seul."

"Plaire ne pas me gêner, l'Oncle."

"Avoir la foi, cher enfant. Avoir la foi. Parce que votre mère et votre père, bénir leurs âmes ne seront pas obligé à faire ici ceci. Votre tante, la personne nous aurions dû vous garder de, n'est pas ici. C'est maintenant mon travail."

"Je vous aime l'Oncle."

"Et j'aime vous aime la fille que je n'avais jamais."

"Wait. I've changed my mind about something. I would like to speak with the young man that has won your heart so quickly. Alone."

"Please do not embarrass me, Uncle."

"Have faith, dear child. Have faith. Because your mother and father, bless their souls are not here to do this. Your aunt, the person we should have kept you from, is not here. It is now my job."

"I love you Uncle."

"And I love you like the daughter that I never had."

"Je le prends que vous pouvez parler quelque français."

"Oui, monsieur."

"Une langue charmante, le français. Vous pouvez exprimer véritablement que vous vous sentez. Mais cela peut être dit de n'importe quelle langue. Elle a été élevée par ma soeur parce que j'étais incapable de s'occuper d'elle. Je ne l'ai pas rencontré jusqu' à récemment. Quand elle était dix-sept, je pense. Sa tante était une femme froide. Taylor ne devrait jamais lui être envoyé."

"Qu'est-il arrivé à ses parents?"

"Son père était occupé. Trop occupé pour l'élever. Sa mère, nous part. Son père est mort récemment. Nous tout coup manqué lui. J'ai été préparé à votre arrivée aujourd'hui. Je suis toujours les traditions de France, et le vin d'invités d'offre. Ceci ne contient pas d'alcool."

"Vous remercier."

"Il ne peut pas avoir d'alcool, mais il a toujours le goût comme s'il a fait. Ceci vient de mon vignoble privé. Cela est comment je suis devenu si riche. Mes vins sont achetés par tant partout dans le monde. Mes soeurs et j'ai grandi en haut sur le vignoble. Quand notre père a passé, il les part me, parce que j'étais le plus vieux. Ni la soeur m'a pardonné. Mais cela est dans le passé. Nous devons parler de l'avenir. Ma nièce a des sensations pour vous. Pour être des jeunes et dans l'amour. Elle me dit que vous vous êtes brisé avec une jeune dame hier."

"Elle s'est brisé avec moi. Monsieur, je ne peux pas l'expliquer, mais j'aime votre nièce beaucoup."

"Je peux voir cela. Vous deux a ce regard de nouvel amour trouvé. Mais est averti, il y a ceux-là qui souhaiterait voir cet amour divisé."

"Que signifiez-vous?"

"Votre frère a le regard pareil dans ses yeux que mes soeurs avaient quand ils ont entendu que j'étais d'hériter tout qu'appartenu à notre père. Je suis désolé, je ne souhaite pas vous tourner contre votre frère. J'aimerais entendre plus de vous."

"I take it that you can speak some French."

"Yes, sir."

"A lovely language, French. You can truly express what you feel. But that can be said of any language. She was raised by my sister because I was unable to take care of her. I didn't meet her until recently. When she was seventeen, I think. Her aunt was a cold woman. Taylor never should have been sent to her."

"What happened to her parents"

"Her father was busy. Too busy to raise her. Her mother, left us. Her father died recently. We all miss him. I was prepared for your arrival today. I still follow the traditions of France, and offer guests wine. This contains no alcohol."

"Thank you."

"It may not have alcohol, but it still has the taste as if it did. This comes from my private vineyard. That is how I became so wealthy. My wines are purchased by so many all over the world. My sisters and I grew up on the vineyard. When our father passed, he left them to me, because I was the oldest. Neither sister forgave me. But that is in the past. We must talk about the future. My niece has feelings for you. To be young and in love. She tells me that you broke up with a young lady yesterday."

"She broke up with me. Sir, I can not explain it, but I love your niece very much."

"I can see that. Both of you have that look of new found love. But be warned, there are those that would wish to see that love divided."

"What do you mean"

"Your brother has the same look in his eyes that my sisters had when they heard that I was to inherit all that belonged to our father. I am sorry, I do not wish to turn you against your brother. I would like to hear more about you."

L'ange de mort/Angel of death

"Wir hätten damit rechts dann gemacht werden sollen".

"Mentor wünscht, dass uns warten. Wünschen Sie, ihm zu trotzen"

"Nein aber Ihr Vater. .."

"Mein Vater würde verstehen, dass um zu zerstören Ihre Beute, Sie müssen zuerst sie macht unglaubwürdig, wegnimmt irgendeine Hilfe, die sie empfangen können. Dann machen Sie sie zweifeln themself. Und als sie den niedrigsten Punkt erreicht haben, den sie können, zerstören Sie sie".

"Sie lieben wahrheitsgemäß ihn".

"Erzählen Sie mich, wie dass Ihre Angelegenheit ist? Ihre Aufgabe soll sich vergewissern, dass nichts schief geht".

"Ich kenne meine Aufgabe".

"Macht dann es. Behalten Sie Ihren Rat zu sich".

"We should have been done with it right then."

"Mentor wishes us to wait. Do you wish to defy him"

"No, but your father..."

"My father would understand that in order to destroy your prey, you must first discredit them, take away any help that they may receive. Then you make them doubt themself. And when they reached the lowest point that they can, you destroy them."

"You truly love him."

"Tell me, how is that your concern? Your job is to make sure that nothing goes wrong."

"I know my job."

"Then do it. Keep your advice to yourself."

"Die Aufgabe ist gemacht".

"Sehr gut".

"Wir werden heute Abend beginnen".

"Macht so".

"The job is done."

"Very good."

"We will begin tonight."

"Do so."


	8. Conversations between Assassins

Now, all will be explained. Because this is an Assassin based conversation, the translations will follow right after what is said.

-

"Wie machen Sie heute Abend, lieber Bruder" _How are you doing tonight, dear brother?_

"Verschonen Sie mich. Sie sind gekommen, weil Sie gewiss sind, dass ich versagen werde". _Spare me. You came because you are certain that I will fail._

"Gut Sie erzählen Leuten, dass ich eine schreckliche Tante war. Ich habe jedes Recht erfahren, was weitergehen". _Well, you are telling people that I was a horrible aunt. I have every right to find out what is going on._

"Annette, Sie haben gelegen, als Sie von den Bruder unserer Schwester erzählt wurden. Sie machten alle, dass Sie können, zu versichern, dass irgendeine Geheimnisse, die sie gelernt hat, nutzlos wären. Jetzt ist nicht die Zeit, Tadel zu legen". _Annette, you lied, as you were told by our sister's brother. You did all that you could to insure that any secrets that she learned would be useless. Now is not the time to lay blame._

"Sie hat den Feind nach dem Tod unseres Vaters angeschlossen. Sie hat dem Pfad nicht gefolgt, der gesetzt worden ist, bevor uns". _She joined the enemy after our father's death. She did not follow the path set before us._

"Wahr, sie hat den Channing Namen, aber Taylor bringt Ehre zurück zu uns simuliert". _True, she shamed the Channing name, but Taylor is bringing honor back to us._

"Wahr. Wie passen Dinge zum Ziel" _True. How are things going with the target?_

"Sehr gut. Glücklicherweise haben wir alle Lecke enthalten, die uns zerstört hätten". _ Very well. Luckily we have contained all leaks that would have destroyed us._

"Und sie"? _And her?_

"Wer? Das Mädchen, das wir hier haben" _Who? The girl that we have here?_

"Ja. Iola, den ich denke, dass ihr Name ist". _Yes. Iola I think her name is._

"Sie ist beinahe bereit, ihre Aufgabe zu beginnen". _She is nearly ready to begin her job._

"Wenn das Ziel zur Wahrheit schließen darf, beginnt, Iola zu benutzen, ihn aufzuhalten". _When the target gets to close to the truth, begin using Iola to stop him._

"Korrigiert". _Correct._

"Das Shaw Mädchen ist in Gefängnis". _The Shaw girl is in jail._

"Dann sie haben was wir haben gepflanzt gefunden". _Then they found what we planted._

"Ja und Taylor hat sie trennt sehr gut gespielt. Sie hat sie überzeugen lassen, dass sie in Gefahr war". _Yes, and Taylor played her part very well. She had them convinced that she was in danger._

"Gut. Wie hat es gefühlt, Fräulein Diane Channing zu sein" _Good. How did it feel to be Miss Diane Channing?_

"Verwirren. Ich versage, zu verstehen, warum ich so eine Rolle spielen muss. Früher oder später werden sie lernen, dass Diane Channing lang gestorben ist, bevor Taylor geboren war". _Confusing. I fail to understand why I must play such a role. Sooner or later they are going to learn that Diane Channing died long before Taylor was born._

"Nein das denkt, dass Annette Channing in einem tragischen Unfall gestorben ist. Ein Unfall, der angenommen wurde, mein Fehler zu sein". _No, the think that Annette Channing died in a tragic accident. An accident that was supposed to be my fault._

"Wahr, aber wenn sie lernen die Wahrheit, Taylor wird sein in Gefahr." _True, but when they learn the truth, Taylor will be in danger._

"Und sie werden nicht lernen, wer wir sind bis ich bereit für sie bin, zu lernen". "And they will not learn who we are until I am ready for them to learn."

"Hat verstanden". _Understood._

"Es ist eine Schande, die junger Herr Hardy nicht weiß, dass er bald für Töten unser wahrer Bruder zahlen wird". _It is a shame that young Mr. Hardy does not know that he will soon pay for killing our true brother._


	9. Explanations and lawyers

Explanations and lawyers

At the main headquarters for the Assassins, Iola brought in the Gray Man's lunch tray. Smiling at him, she said, "Here's you lunch."

"Thank you. I have to get out of this house."

"Why? Aren't we treating you well?"

"I have to warn Frank and Joe about the Assassins."

"Who are they? I could call the police and let them deal with it."

"No, you don't understand. The Assassins are an international terrorist organization that started out as a bunch of fanatics in the days of the Crusades. They have over a thousand years of experience in dealing with weapons, murdering people and are interested in taking over the world."

"Sounds like a very interesting spy novel."

"It's real! They're here in Bayport, and I have to warn Frank and Joe about them."

"Why?"

"They want to kill Joe because he stopped Al-Rousasa from killing Philip Walker."

"So you're saying that Joe killed this guy?"

"No! Joe stopped him from killing Philip Walker, and they got into a fight."

"Joe and this Philip Walker person got in a fight after Joe saved his life?"

"NO! Joe and Al-Rousasa got in a fight. Both fell over the second floor of the mall. Al-Rousasa released Joe's hand and fell to his death."

"Like I said, that's an interesting spy novel."

"But…"

"Now, you should eat and forget all about that book. It's clear that it's upsetting you." The Gray Man ate slowly, thinking that the young nurse was right.

At the jail, Callie Shaw sat in a Visitation Room, waiting for her lawyer. The door opened and in walked a woman wearing a sharp business suit. Closing the door, she said, "Let's get to work."

"But..."

"Now, they are going to want you to plead out on all the charges, but you're not going to."

"But..."

"When it's time to talk with the DA, you are going to stay in that chair and let me do all the talking."

"But..."

"Now, you're facing three Attempted Murder charges, Three Assault charges, Twenty-five charges of Possession with Intent to sell, Twenty-five charges of Possession with Intent to use and Twenty-five charges of Drug Possession. And that's just at the start of the list."

"But..."

"Now, I already talked to the judge and he's going to let you out on a bail set at 700,000. This was done with you here, because they feel that you are a threat to others."

"But..."

"Now, I want you to relax, I know what I'm doing. Your parents emptied their retirement savings and put up their cars and the house. I think that they went to a few other sources for the money. You'll finish up your suspension from school and then return there. If you attack another person, you'll be right back in here. That means you had better watch your step."

"But..."

"Now, your parents will pick you up in the morning, so get a goodnight's sleep." The woman then left.

Callie stared after her in shock.


	10. The Assassin's File

The real Assassin File

These are the things that no one knows except for the Assassins.

Disclaimer: I own nothing that belongs to Mr. Dixon.

Because of the amount that is going into this chapter, the entire thing is in English.

"Memo"

Memo to All Assassins

Date:When have we ever put a date on anything? What if the enemy gets this?

To:Do you think I have the time and energy to name all of you? You change your names more times than Brittany Spears changed boyfriends.

From:Do you think that I'm stupid enough to put MY name on this!

RE:The rumors pertaining to our departed Al-Rousasa. I miss him because it was HIS job to do all memos. The next memo will be about who has to start doing these things. I am far too busy to do them.

Priority:UrgentDo to the fact that you won't stop sending me memos about if you can read the files or not. What do you think this is, some kind of Office Company that has a water cooler for you to hang around and do nothing?

This memo is to EVERY Assassin that has asked for the Al-Rousasa case file. Here is the information that you may or may not know. After you read it, LEAVE ME ALONE!

Enc. File: Al-Rousasa

Enc. File: Westbrooke, Taylor

AL-ROUSASA

Name: Al-Rousasa

Real Name: Who knows, he threatened to kill anyone that asked

Marital Status: Widowed. She was a Network spy if any of you care to remember.

Relatives: Westbrooke, Taylor. A fine example of a future Assassin if there ever was one.

History: Al-Rousasa completed a total of 390 assignments before he married Clara Channing-Westbrooke. At that time, Al-Rousasa was undercover, using an assumed name. The marriage lasted until it was learned that Clara was a spy for the Network and was sent on an assignment by us that she did not return from. (My thanks to those that saw to that). The daughter, Taylor was taken in by her aunt, Diane Channing, and sent to a private school owned by the Assassins from the age of eight. Al-Rousasa was away on assignment dealing with Philip Walker when he was tragically killed by Joe Hardy. Mr. Hardy is now being watched until it is certain that his brother is ready to join us and then he will be killed. This is Taylor's first assignment.

THERE THAT IS THE MAJORITY OF WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW. HERE IS TAYLOR'S FILE, JUST SO THAT YOU NOSY BUSY BODIES CAN STOP BUGGING ME!

WESTBROOKE, TAYLOR

Name: Westbrooke, Taylor

Real Name: That is her real name

Relatives: Clara Channing-Westbrooke (mother, deceased), Diane Channing (aunt) Vachel-Thiery Channing)(Uncle), Al-Rousasa (father, deceased)

History: Taylor was given to her aunt Diane Channing to raise by her father, Al-Rousasa. Diane Channing and her brother, Vachel-Thiery Channing joined the Assassins after the death of father by men that wanted their lands and vineyards. While they joined the noble cause, their sister fled and joined the enemy. Diane Channing's real name is Annette Channing. The real Diane Channing was murdered when it was learned that she planned to give all information about the family's involvement to the Network. Annette took on her name and has been using it since after information was learned that Annette was under suspicion by the Sûertê. Taylor was eight when she started at The Perfect Lady's School For Girls, an undercover training school. Taylor's grades are the following from that school:

English: A+

Math: A+

Biology: A+

History: A+

Hand-to-Hand Combat: A+

Weapons Training: A+

Poison: A+

Horse Riding: A+

Foreign Languages: A+

Physical Education: A+

Vehicular Driving and Repair: A+

Disguise and Forgery: A+

She has learned all of these things and was prepared to begin the second level of Advanced training when her father was tragically murdered by Joe Hardy. It was been decided that Taylor would be given a chance to avenge her father and gain a new Assassin for us by recruiting Frank Hardy when the time is right.

THAT IS ALL OF HER FILE THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW! NOW STOP BOTHERING ME!


	11. We bring you this JAIL BREAK!

We bring you this JAIL BREAK!

Disclaimer: Of this fanfic, I own so little, yet use so much.

Callie stared at the walls of her cell. 'It's not fair! If Taylor had never come to Bayport, I would have Frank begging me to take him back.'

"You know, Shaw." A voice sad coldly, breaking the silence. Callie looked up and glared at Taylor. "You look so fetching behind bars."

"This is your fault!" Callie stood and glared.

"I tried to be nice, but some people just don't want to listen. That's when you have to use force." She pulled out a small round ball from one pocket and a cloth from the other. Turning she looked at the guard that was standing there. "You know what to do, correct?"

"Yes, when they find me, claim that Shaw pretended to be in need of medical attention and tricked me into opening the cell door. When I did, she attacked and over powered me, stole my gun and the keys and left."

"Very good." Taylor pressed a button on the ball and tossed it into the cell. Covering her mouth with the cloth, she watched as Callie and the guard passed out. Another guard was walking up when Taylor was dragging Callie out of the cell. Calmly placing the gun in Callie's hand, she pulled the trigger, killing the guard.

Early in the morning, Joe turned on the television and was shocked by what he saw. A news crew was stationed outside the jail. The reporter was just starting to talk; "I'm live at the Bayport police station where we have just learned that there was a prison escape. That is correct, a young woman had escaped some time last night. We do not have all the details, but we have been informed that she is armed and dangerous." A man handed the reporter a slip of paper. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have just been informed that a guard was killed in last night's escape. The guard's name is being withheld until the family has been notified. The Bayport police would like for you to be on the watch for Callie Shaw." Joe was stunned as the reporter gave what information that he had on Callie, including the list of charges. He turned off the television and fell into a chair, unable to figure out what Callie was up to.

Several Assassins in a dark colored van surrounded Callie. Taylor watched as they managed to convince Callie that she had indeed, killed the guard. When they were finished, they drove to a neighborhood near Callie's home and placed Callie there and drove away.

Hearing a car door slam, an elderly woman went to the window and saw Callie. Frightened, she called the police.

Callie hurried home, hoping that at least her car was still there. Spotting it, she broke into the house and grabbed the extra set of keys. She then grabbed some clothes and fled the house, driving away in her car.

Chief Collig listened to the woman as she described the events that she had seen. Turning to another officer, Collig commented, "She just added Breaking and Entering and Grand Theft Auto to her list of crimes."

"If we don't find her first, someone else will. You know how people feel about Cop Killers." The officer replied.

"I know. For her sake, Callie Shaw needs to find somewhere to lay low.

"Laufen Sie, kleines Mädchen. Sie sollen so weit wie Sie können laufen. Laufen Sie so schnell wie Sie können. Wenn sie Sie finden, werden Sie nie mich wieder stören". Taylor said in a singsong voice as she watched the police search around the Shaw home for clues.

At school, everyone was talking about Callie. A few could not believe that she would do what she was being accused of. Others thought that it was no surprise.

"She is SUCH a Prima Donna."

"I know! Do you remember the way she would fawn over Frank Hardy?"

"That wasn't hard to miss. I mean, you would think that they shared lockers."

"And then she had the nerve to not only break up with him, but get made that another girl was paying attention to him."

"Hey, if I had been in her shoes, there would have been no problem. Because I never would have broken up with him." Girls gossiped abound the events in every classroom. Taylor would stop to hear what was being said. As she listened, there were times she smirked.

Translation:

"Laufen Sie, kleines Mädchen. Sie sollen so weit wie Sie können laufen. Laufen Sie so schnell wie Sie können. Wenn sie Sie finden, werden Sie nie mich wieder stören". "Run, little girl. You should run as far as you can. Run as fast as you can. When they find you, you will never trouble me again."


	12. Just when things couldn't get any worse ...

After breaking into and stealing the keys to her car from her parent's home, Callie Shaw had no idea what she was going to do. Looking in the rear view mirror, she saw a car behind her. Panicking, she hoped that it wasn't a police car and tried wish them away. The car pulled past her and continued on its way. Callie knew that she needed to hide and fast. She reached into the glove box and called the one person that she hoped would help her. After the phone call, she decided to get some sleep.

Joe was concerned. The police were at the house; worried that Callie would attempt to call. When the phone rang, everyone held his or her breath. Joe picked it up and heard Chet on the other end, "Callie wants to hide here! I freaked and said that she could. She'll be here in about…20 minutes!"

"Chet, calm down. We'll be there to help, and we're bringing the police." Joe looked over at Frank, who was nodding. In 10 minutes they were at the Morton family farm. Chet looked worried as the police began to hide in various places. They instructed Frank and Joe to remain out of sight. Taylor, who was with them, clung to Frank's arm. Just as everything was in place, Callie's car pulled up.

Callie eyed the man that Chet was talking to. Chet looked as if he were giving the man instructions, and when the man walked away, Chet turned and smiled at Callie. Callie got out of her car and walked over, looking around nervously. "Who was that?"

"That was Ben. He was looking for work and dad offered him a job." Chet shrugged as if it were nothing. "Come on, I had him fix up the guest room." Chet led the way to the house. Callie felt something heavy in her jacket pocket. Just as she walked in the door, out of curiosity, she pulled the object to discover that it was a gun.

Joe had been watching the house through a pair of binoculars. He passed them to Taylor and was about to say something to Frank when Taylor let out a gasp, "She just pulled out a gun!" At that moment, they heard gunfire from the house. None of them moved for a moment, and then all three ran to the house. They weren't the only ones. Police came from everywhere and ran inside. The officers that were inside were a flurry of activity. Several had wrestled Callie to the ground, some had their guns pointed at her. The rest were taking care of Chet, who was on the ground. The bullet had hit Chet in his shoulder. An officer was badly shaken by the whole thing. "An inch higher and she would have killed him. It's a good thing that I'm shorter than she is."

"What happened?" Chief Collig asked the man.

"The young man was walking in and then the suspect. I saw the weapon in her hand and yelled, 'gun'. The suspect then lifted the weapon and aimed it at me. The young man got in the way and was hit. Is he alright?" The last part was aimed at the EMT that was working on Chet. The EMT looked up and said, "We've got to get him to the hospital, right now!" They rushed Chet out and to the ambulance. When it sped away, Callie was read the charges against her. Just as they were about to read her rights, the police radio came to life. An officer listened and then yelled, "Hey, Chief! The DA is on her way here with a Search Warrant. She said not to do anything until she gets here!" When the DA arrived, she was clearly not the type to be messed with. With the look of a strict teacher that had moved on to law enforcement, the DA handed over the search warrant. Chief Collig glanced at it and then nodded, agreeing to the search. Frank, Joe and Taylor watched as the police with the DA searched the car. Several pieces of jewelry were produced as well as some wallets and watches. The DA nodded and turned to look at Callie, "Miss Shaw, in the amended report, you are now under arrest for the following: escaping from jail, assault on a police officer, 2nd degree murder, breaking and entering, grand theft auto in the first degree, and 11 counts of manslaughter." The DA motioned for the police to read Callie her rights. As they did so, Callie stared at Frank, who was now looking at her as if she were a stranger to him.

In the room where he was kept prisoner, the Gray Man sat next to the window. He wished that he knew where he was and why he was there. He sighed and looked at the view. It was nice. Too bad about the bars across the windows. Yes, it was a very nice hospital.

Fenton Hardy arrived at his destination. Going to the hotel room that was waiting for him, he prepared for what could be weeks of following a woman that the Gray Man suspected was selling Network information. Until he had proof that she was, he was not to contact any one. He wished that he would be allowed to get in touch with the Gray Man, but the Network agent's letter said that he himself was working on a case and that there was no one that he trusted more than Fenton to watch the woman. Mentally grumbling about the active imaginations of the Network, Fenton decided to sleep off the jet lag.

Callie's parents were allowed to visit with their daughter for a few minutes. The police were no longer taking risks. Callie was handcuffed to the chair and a police anklet kept her attached to the table. Mr. Shaw spoke first, "How could you? Twelve people, Callie. TWELVE!"

"Daddy, I don't know what to say…."

"I do." Mr. Shaw was about to continue when his wife stopped him. Mrs. Shaw looked at her daughter sadly and turned away. Mr. Shaw held his wife's hand and added, "Your mother and I were lucky. We hadn't signed anything yet, so the house is still ours. They were going to deny you bail, but the lawyer, for reasons I'll never understand, convinced them to let you out. You'll be under House Arrest with a police officer at the house. That officer will not have a gun on him, a precaution due to what you've done. Also, he will take you to and from school, if they allow you back. During transport, you'll be handcuffed. You'll also do as you are told."

"Why, Daddy? What convinced them to let me out?"

"Thankfully, we're not adding Chet to your list of people that you've killed. He stood up for you in court. You bond is $600,000,000. Taylor is paying the whole thing." Callie felt a wave of anger. Taylor, all of this started because of her. Instead of saying this, Callie stayed silent.

Frank and Joe went to the farm to visit Chet. They were grateful that Chet would be fine. The bullet only wounded him. Chet had stood up for Callie before the DA and Taylor was at that moment, explaining to her uncle why she was paying the bail of a young woman that had killed so many people. That night, at the Hardy household, it was decided that the Hardy women would go on vacation until the trial was over. After everyone else went to bed, Frank ended up leaving the house under orders from Vachel-Thiery. He went to Callie's home and after ten minutes, left


	13. Conversations and late night songs

Hey, thanks for the reviews. And to respond to the one from Ragna ICE(land, but Callie's troubles and what's going on with Frank are about to crash together in more ways than one.

Callie awoke in the morning, feeling sorry for herself. She wished that there was a way to get out of the mess that she was in and fast. During the bail hearing, the judge wanted to make sure that Callie knew just how thin the ice that she was on really was. He promised her that he would be keeping an eye on her and that while he was bound by the letter of the law to think of her as innocent until proven guilty, he would also think of the citizens that lived in Bayport that counted on him to keep them safe. "In other words, one toe out of line, and I promise you, I'll stick you back in that jail cell in a heartbeat, young lady."

"Yes, sir."

"And I want you in here **on time**."

"Yes, sir."

"You are hereby released in the custody of your parents. The school has agreed to continue sending you the homework and class work that you need until you are allowed to return to school. I want you back in this court room…Two weeks after the end of the school year."

"Yes, sir."

"Court is dismissed." Callie hurried out with her parents, hiding her face from all the flashes that were going off around her. The questions made it worse, as well as the comments:

"How does it feel to be the youngest serial killer in Bayport?"

"Was there any reasoning behind each murder?"

"You should FRY for what you did!"

"You took my son from me! They should give you the gas chamber!"

"THAT WAS MY WIFE, YOU SICK LITTLE FREAK!"

"My daughter died by your hand! You should die!"

"Were you practicing on how to kill Taylor Westbrooke?"

"What are your thoughts about your ex-boyfriend dating one of the richest women in Bayport?"

"Is there any truth to the rumors that you tried to murder Chet Morton?"

"Were you attempting to make up for the fact that you failed to murder Taylor Westbrooke that you murdered 12 other people?"

"What was going through your mind when you killed those people?" In the car, Callie risked a glance out of the window. She saw the hatred and the anger on many people's faces. She sighed as her father drove away. At home, the police officer was settled in and stood in a corner as the Shaw family finally started talking to each other. Callie's mother glared at her and said, "When they allow you back in school, stay out of trouble. It's bad enough that your father and I lost our jobs over this."

"I don't understand." Callie looked at each of them.

"Our former employers felt that the PR of having us work for them wouldn't be good, so they released us. They gave us enough to work with for a couple of years. We used the bulk of that money to stock up on food and pay the bills up for a while. That way, we can stay in the house and not have to go out for anything."

"Can we order a pizza, or something?"

"No. I tried yesterday. I was told by the manager that he couldn't risk sending some one over here." Callie winced. There had to be a way to prove to them that she was innocent. But there was so much stacked up against her. The doorbell rang and Mr. Shaw went to answer it. Standing outside was Frank. Inviting Frank in, Mr. Shaw and Mrs. Shaw left the room. Callie tried to look at Frank and soon found herself looking at the floor. She looked up again and said, "I'm glad to see you."

"I know." Frank looked toward the window and then handed over the class assignments. "There was a vote on who should bring these to you every day. I won. Lucky me."

"Is this because I broke up with you, because I punched Taylor, or because of everything that's going on now? I detected a hint of sarcasm in your voice just now."

"Try all of the above. Chet's fine by the way."

"I was going to ask how was he doing."

"Worried about you. I think he's forgotten that you're the one that pulled the trigger."

"I didn't mean for it to happen! I found the gun in my pocket and pulled it out because I didn't know what it was at first. I was going to ask him to get rid of it and then…"

"Look, I didn't come here to argue with you. I just came here to drop that off and go."

"Wait! Is there any way you can stay for dinner? I'm sure Mom won't mind."

"Callie, we can't just pretend that everything isn't happening. You have to let go."

"You let go pretty quick."

"Coming from the person that broke up with me, I really don't think you want me to point out the irony in that statement."

"I'm sorry."

"Callie, I have to go."

"I… Could you tell Taylor thanks for me."

"I will, just as soon as I can see her again. She's grounded for bailing you out." Callie's eyes widened. "That's right. Her uncle found out and grounded her until next week. She told me that it was worth it because she felt that she should have talked your father out of calling the police to start with."

"Tell her I'm sorry that I got her in trouble."

"I will."

"If I had…reacted better, do you think that the three of us could have been friends?"

"Knowing Taylor, she still wants to be friends with you. If she does…" He then looked thoughtful, "I won't try to stop her." Callie smiled as Frank left.

Taylor was exhausted. When her mentor learned of what she had done, he had ordered that she go through physical training non-stop for 18 hours. Taylor lied to Frank and told him that she was grounded until the following week. She knew that the training was just the beginning of her punishment. She looked up at the window where the Gray Man watched her as she trained. She grew to dislike him more and more every day. Iola was a good person to talk to when she was training. It helped her stay awake. Iola was a wonderful resource of information. Taylor was working on her archery when she asked Iola, "So, what can you tell me about Frank that I don't know already?"

"He's very good at writing his own music."

"Oh, really?"

"That's right. One of these days, we're going to have to put on a concert and you'll have to let him play for you."

Vachel-Thiery over heard this and came up with an idea. He knew that Frank truly loved Taylor, and that the young Trainee felt the same way about him. Why not give him an assignment that both would enjoy?

At midnight, Frank, guitar in hand (so to speak) snuck onto the property and climbed the gates around the Westbrooke home. He landed carefully and heard a soft growling near by. Turning to look, he saw the guard dog that was walking over. 'Okay…this is bad.' He then raced toward the tallest tree that he could find. The dog followed without a sound until Frank was in the tree, then it started barking. Taylor walked outside and hissed, "Killer! Get inside! You'll wake the neighbors again! Stop chasing that poor kitty, or you'll take years off of its life!"

"That's right, Killer." Frank whispered at the dog. "I might not be a cat, but you will take years off my life and I only have one!" The dog glared at him for a moment before walking toward the house. Taylor closed the door and Frank climbed down slowly. He then looked around, trying to remember which window was Taylor's. Finding what he thought was the right window, he climbed up and stopped when he heard the branch creaking. Looking down, he said, "This is going to hurt." The branch then broke, falling to the ground, taking him with it. A moment later, he climbed up again, this time picking a branch that could support his weight. He then started to play the song that he had picked out before hand and looked up to find a very happy Annette batting her eyelashes at him. Stammering for a full 10 minutes, Frank finally asked her to point him toward Taylor's window. With a sigh of pretend sadness, Annette pointed him in the right direction. Climbing down, Frank went to the right tree and climbed up. When he was ready (again) he started playing. Taylor's window flew open and Taylor gaped at him. When the song was over, Taylor smiled at him and then said, "That was lovely."

"Thanks."

"I take it you're the one Killer chased up a tree."

"That was me."

"Killer's a big softie. The worst he would have done is lick you to death."

"But you said…"

"Killer caught up with a cat and started cleaning the poor thing. The cat didn't know whether to scratch him or roll over and let him finish the job. You must be the strangest American here in Bayport."

"Not really."

"I'll see you in school tomorrow?"

"I'll be there with bells on." At that moment the branch broke. When Frank hit the ground, he stood and added, "That or a cast."

Annette looked at her brother as Frank left and asked him in English, "Are you turning into a big softie, like our guard dog?"

"No, I just remembered when Taylor's mother had boyfriends do the same thing for her."

"True. We should let them 'rest'. Everything is happening ahead of schedule."

"You are right. The bugs were planted in the Shaw home last night. I want everything to be perfect when we allow Iola to begin her part of the plan during the summer."


	14. Just a normal day for a guy, a dog and a...

_**Translated items**_

Frank was all grins in the morning. Joe eyed his brother and asked, "Where were you last night?" He then noticed that Frank was limping. "And what happened to your ankle?"

"I fell out of a tree."

"You did what?"

"I fell out of a tree. Well, to be honest, two trees."

"What were you doing that made you fall out of two trees?" Joe listened to the entire story and tried not to laugh. He couldn't picture his brother taking such a risk, but then again…

Taylor was smiling when she came down to breakfast the next day. Vachel-Thiery looked up at her and asked, "Schlafen Sie gut"? _**Sleep well?**_

"Ja Mentor". **_Yes, mentor._**

"Ich sehe. Ihr Hund war ins Haus ziemlich früh. Ich habe Sie erzählt, dass er kein guter Wachhund war". _**I see. Your dog was in the house rather early. I told you he wasn't a good guard dog.**_

"Er ist nur ein großes Hundchen, Mentor". _**He's just a big puppy, Mentor.**_

"Ein 'großes Hundchen' das kann auch nicht eine Katze ab dem Eigentum, viel weniger ein junger Mann mit einer Gitarre behalten". **_A 'big puppy' that can't even keep a cat off the property, much less a young man with a guitar._**

"Mentor, ich haben Frank zu nicht gefragt. .." **_Mentor, I didn't ask Frank to..._**

"Ich weiß, Kind. Ich bin nicht böse an entweder von Ihnen. Eigentlich hat es mich denke an Ihre Eltern gemacht". _**I know, child. I am not angry at either of you. In fact, it made me think of your parents.**_

"Ist Mentor, alles in Ordnung?" _**Mentor, is everything okay?**_

"Ja. Wir sind vor Zeitplan, deshalb habe ich gedacht, dass ich Sie ein paar Wochen ab geben würde. D.h., bis nach dem Versuch". _**Yes. We are ahead of schedule, so I thought that I would give you a few weeks off. That is, until after the trial.**_

"Vielen Dank, Mentor". _**Thank you, Mentor.**_

"Sie sind willkommen, Kind". _**You are welcome, child.**_

Taylor hummed to herself as she went to the phone. Once, just once, she could pretend that she was like everyone else. For a few weeks, she could really pretend that she was Taylor Westbrooke, normal English girl. Picking up the phone, she called Frank, "Good news, my uncle has forgiven me."

"That's great."

"I was thinking that we could…go for a walk. I could bring Killer."

"Sounds like fun." Hanging up, Taylor whistled for Killer. The Siberian Husky came running at the command from its mistress. Taylor had long given up on training Killer to be an attack dog. A loveable puppy, Killer failed to understand the ideas of 'attack' and 'kill'. Taylor kept him and refused to rename him due to the fact that he was exactly the opposite of his name. At the Hardy residence, Killer leapt up on Joe and proceeded to lick his face. Taylor tried to pull him off, laughing the entire time. "He thinks that it's his job to clean any one that he sees. Other animals are no exception." She explained. Joe eyed Killer and said nothing. Killer tilted his head to one side and eyed Joe in return. Frank joined them and Killer pounced yet again. After Taylor pulled him off they left.

Taylor felt completely free as they took Killer for a run in the park. She watched as children played with the dog and seemed to enjoy the puppy baths. 'Is this what it's like to be a normal person? Is this the life that I was denied for so long?' She tried to banish the thought, but was barely able to. Biff was jogging by when he saw Frank and Taylor together. He walked over and was promptly greeted by Killer. Petting the dog, he asked, "So, what's this guy's name?"

"Killer." Biff raised an eyebrow and said nothing. As the day wore on, Killer seemed to enjoy himself as more kids either petted him or rode his back like a pony that they could get on and off with no trouble. It wasn't long before the press caught wind of where Frank and Taylor were. Taylor felt Frank tense next to her. Before she could ask him what was going on, Frank apologized to the kids and led Taylor away, Killer following. Just as they reached a safe distance, the press sprang at them and started in with questions. Taylor was surprised as photos were taken of her and Frank together. Killer moved in front of Taylor. Due to his size, reporters and cameramen refused to get closer. Taylor looked at Frank and they caught on. Taylor told them that she was now taking her guard dog with her for safety and that Killer would protect her from anything. Catching on to the words 'guard dog' and 'Killer', the press backed off even more and one brave reporter asked, "Has he ever harmed any one?"

"No, but he did stop a would be kidnapper when I was a child. My…guardian never reported the incident because it was far too embarrassing for the poor man."

"What happened?"

"Killer had him stuck up a tree, missing the seat of his pants." The press caught on and left them alone.

Frank waited until they were alone before asking, "Did that really happen?"

"Yes. What I failed to mention was that Killer was trying to play tug-of-war with the man." The two started walking again, content on being with each other.

After an hour, Frank suggested that they visit Chet. When they arrived at the Morton farm, Chet was glad to have some company and was impressed with Killer. He then told them that he was thinking about getting a dog for the farm. Taylor looked thoughtful and went to make a private call on her cell phone. For the rest of the visit, she glanced up at the dirt road that led to the farm. Just as they were getting ready to leave an hour later, a truck came, and the delivery driver got out. "I'm looking for Chet Morton."

"That's me." Chet signed the clipboard and looked confused. The deliveryman left a box with air holes. When Chet opened the box, a Siberian Husky puppy jumped out and began to jump around before Chet. Taylor looked embarrassed as Chet thanked her. When she returned home, Taylor found herself thinking, 'Will I be able to continue as a normal girl until the end of my mission? Will I have to give up this life?'

_------_

_What's going on in Taylor's mind? Why is she starting to think like this? Is Frank rubbing off on her?_


	15. The best laid Assassin setups

Chet waited nervously as his father examined the puppy. "Um… Chet, you do know that this puppy can and will grow up."

"I know that."

"And you do know that it's going to be a handful."

"I know that."

"And what about feeding it?"

"I can handle it." Chet looked worried.

"We're barely hanging onto the farm as it is." Mr. Morton was about to add more when a limo pulled up. A man that neither Chet or his father knew got out and looked around. Hurrying over, Mr. Morton asked, "May I help you?"

"One moment." The man turned and assisted another man from the limo. The second man spotted Chet and began speaking to the first man in excited French. The first man turned and said to Mr. Morton, "My employer says that he heard about what happened to your son, and feels that he should do what he can to help you." The man pulled out an envelope and added, "Inside is a check for $500,000. Will this be enough to help out in any manner?"

"Um, yes it will. But I don't understand."

"My employer feels that your son has gone through something that could have been prevented. My employer has also instructed me to inform you that he has hired skilled workers to come and do anything that you need of them. He has instructed them that while he is the one paying them, they are to obey your orders to the letter. Also, he is sending over people to do any renovations that you need done."

"I…I'm not sure what to say."

"My employer understands." The two men got back into the limo and left. Chet looked at his father and tried to figure out what was going on.

In the limo, the first man turned and looked at Vachel-Thiery. "I don't understand."

"Simple, I want Joe Hardy to start to suspect something. I want him to turn his brother against him without even trying."

"May I ask why, Mentor?"

"Simple, I have already planted the seeds of doubt in Frank Hardy. All that we do from this point is start those seeds to grow. When it is time, we will have a new Assassin, and for once, since we learned the truth about Taylor's traitorous mother, the girl will have some one in her life for her and her only."

"So this goes beyond the revenge for our brother, Al-Rousasa."

"You are close to the truth. I look at Taylor as if she were my own daughter. I wish for her the happiness denied to me when I had to give up my life for revenge against the Network agent that killed my father."


	16. Doubts, fights and thefts in the middle ...

The Gray Man stared outside. He wished that the nurse with the strange accent would return. He needed someone to talk to. "Mr. Gray, it's time for your lunch." Right on time. The Gray Man turned and asked her, "Did anyone come to visit today?"

"Now, Mr. Gray, you know what the doctor said about visitors. When you're feeling well."

"But I was hoping that my friend, Fenton, had stopped by to visit."

"I'm sorry, but that would be against the rules." The Gray Man sighed and ate lunch silently. The nurse then promised him that she would have another nurse visit with him later. The Gray Man nodded. There had to be someone that could explain to him who Frank and Joe were and why it was so important that he talk to them.

Frank walked with Taylor through the mall. He found himself stopping and looking up where Al-Rousasa had fallen from to his death. Taylor stopped next to him and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Just thinking about something."

"And that something is?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Well, if it isn't Frank Hardy!" A storeowner hurried over and grinned at Frank. "I just wanted to thank you for all that you did."

"It was nothing." Frank didn't want Taylor to learn about Iola like this.

"Nothing? You and your brother stopped that…madman with no help from the police." The storeowner turned to Taylor. "Did you know that a madman was here a few months ago? He wanted to blow up the entire mall, but Frank and his brother stopped him, saved so many lives that day. Frank tried to save his brother and for reasons that I'll never understand, the same madman that was trying to kill everyone. But in the end." The storeowner pointed to a place on the floor. "The man died right there when he hit the floor."

"He…just fell?" Taylor paled at the thought.

"Oh, yes. I think he said something before he died. I heard him, clear as day. 'Kleine Blume, es tut ich Leid, dass ich versagt habe, mein Versprechen zu Ihnen zu behalten'. Taylor turned and stared at the spot. "I have no idea what it means. I think it was some kind of threat. You know, a 'you haven't heard the last of me' kind of thing. I heard from a good source that they buried the body here in Bayport at the local Potter's Field." Frank steered Taylor away from the spot and left the mall with her. Taylor mentally sighed and thought about her father's last words, 'Little Flower, I am sorry that I failed to keep my promise to you.' He had promised that it would be his last assignment for a while and that he would spend time with her. They had made plans to visit somewhere that Taylor had wanted to. Taylor had never asked her father to make a promise. It had been the first and last. Frank remained silent for a moment and then asked, "What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking about that man. What if he had a family?"

"I don't understand."

"I was just thinking about his family."

"Oh." Frank had never thought that Al-Rousasa was the type to have a family. But what if he did? What if they were nothing like him? Or what if they were everything like him? Frank then tried to picture Al-Rousasa. The mental image that came to mind was the look in his eyes just before he fell. For a moment, only a moment, Frank had seen a look of sadness. Had Al-Rousasa been thinking of his family in that instant? What if Joe had held on and Al-Rousasa had gone to trial? Would his family be going through what the Shaw family was about to go through? Would there be reporters camped out on their lawn, waiting for them to come out? Or would the family have enough food stored away to be able to remain indoors, where it was safe? He tried to shake the thoughts from his mind. He then said aloud, "There's two sides to everything."

Joe was impressed. Chet had called him and asked him to come out for a little while. When Joe arrived, men were working here and there to make the Morton farm exactly what the family had always wanted. But when Joe heard who was paying for all of it, he started to have doubts. Chet grinned from ear to ear when he pointed to the puppy that was glued to his side. Ever since its arrival, the puppy Chet had named Shadow was being exactly that, his second shadow. The puppy yipped in shock as a man dropped something, a metal pole, and hid behind Chet only to stick his head out and bark at the man, as if yelling at him to be careful. Joe looked around and was trying to figure out what was going on. First, Taylor pays Callie's bail, and then she gives Chet an expensive gift. Her uncle then helps the Mortons live their dream. Something was going on. This was more than coincidence.

That night, Frank and Taylor were watching a movie when Joe came out of the den. "Frank I need to talk to you." He didn't even look at Taylor. With a shrug, Frank left her to watch the rest of the movie and followed Joe into the den. Once there, he listened as Joe talked to him about Taylor and her uncle. "And that was when I hacked into the Network's computer and tried to locate any information about Taylor and her family."

"Wait, you hacked into private information about my girlfriend?"

"Frank, her mother was a Network agent. The rest of the file is marked Highly Classified. The only person that can remove the tag so anyone can read it isn't listed."

"And your problem with that is…"

"What if it's the Gray Man?"

"Joe, the entire organization doesn't revolve around him!"

"But what if for this, it does? What if he has some kind of info that they don't want leaked out?"

"What if they want Taylor to have a normal life?"

"Yeah, so normal that her aunt bribed the people at the private school to accept Taylor 10 years early."

"Joe, I'm going to ask you this as calmly as I can." Frank stood and Joe saw the rage that was in Frank's eyes. "Stop trying to make a big deal out of everything."

"I just think that it's a little funny that Taylor and her uncle are acting this nice to people that they don't even know." Frank didn't give Joe time to say another word. He simply swung, decking his brother. Gaping for only a moment, Joe was on his feet and the two fought until they heard Taylor's voice, begging them to stop. Joe was just barely able to escape being decked again when they both heard a whimpering sound from Taylor. Both brothers turned and found Taylor on the floor in a dead faint. Frank hurried over to her and picked her up. He then took her to the guest room and put her on the bed. He then left out and glared at Joe, who had followed. Joe sighed as he went to his room and got ready for bed. It hadn't taken much for him to make a mess of that idea.

Taylor waited until she was certain that Frank and Joe were both asleep before she started grinning. Everything was now ahead of schedule.

In the Potter's Field, two Assassins were busy. Quickly, they had stolen the files from the main office and found what they were looking for. Thankful that the police of Bayport had insisted on taking possession of the body, they dug up Al-Rousasa and filled the grave back. They worked as hard as they could to make the grave appear normal before they fled into the night with their prize. They then returned to Vachel-Thiery's home.

Vachel-Thiery looked at the coffin and asked, "Did you replace it?"

"Yes, Mentor. The grave was filled back properly as well."

"Did you leave any evidence that you were there?"

"None, Mentor."

"For your sakes, I hope that is true." After a small ceremony, the coffin was buried again, this time with a statue of a young angel that looked like Taylor that was holding what appeared to be roses, looking up at the sky. The inscription was in German, 'Keine Materie was was, Ihre kleine Blume wird immer Sie lieben'.

Translation:

'Kleine Blume, es tut ich Leid, dass ich versagt habe, mein Versprechen zu Ihnen zu behalten'/'Little Flower, I am sorry that I failed to keep my promise to you.'

_'Keine Materie was was, Ihre kleine Blume wird immer Sie lieben'./ 'No matter what what, your little flower will always love you.'_


	17. Rumors and problems

Rumors and problems

Callie was nervous about going back to school. The idea terrified her beyond words. There was no way that any one would promise her safety, even if they wanted to. The phone calls and threats were getting to the point that she was certain that she would be better off anywhere other than at home. For the past few weeks, Frank and Taylor had stopped by to visit, but when Mr. Shaw saw that the press were asking more and more rude questions, he flat out said that it would be better for Frank if he stopped coming by. Callie had not been in the room, but had heard her father say that the more Frank tried to be nice to Callie, the more the press would act as if he were committing a crime. Now, Callie was a prisoner in her own home. And from the way things were starting to look, it was bound to get worse.

The Gray Man sat in his room. He was angry that the nurse wouldn't allow him to go out side and to make matters worse; the doctor was starting to visit more and more. Too angry to think straight, the Gray Man picked up the book that he had been reading and threw it at the window. A nurse heard the noise rushed in and surveyed the damage. "Mr. Gray, I think that you should go to bed when we put you in your new room. You shouldn't be so destructive."

"I want to go out."

"I know that, but the Doctor doesn't think that's a good idea right now. You might hurt yourself, or someone else. We can't have that, now can we?"

"No…"

"So please relax. The doctor wants you to stop acting as if we are holding you here against your will."

"I want visitors."

"Just as soon as you start feeling better." The Gray Man sighed and allowed the nurse to lead him from the room to a different bedroom. When the door was closed, the Gray Man went and looked out the window. There were bars on this one also. The Gray Man sighed and went to bed as the nurse had asked him to.

Frank and Taylor were at the mall when Joe and Chet walked by. Frank gave his brother an icy glare and pulled Taylor along after saying hello to Chet. Chet raised an eyebrow and asked, "What was that all about?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Joe mentally kicked himself. He had not handled the whole thing with Frank and telling him about the files as well as he had wanted to. But what was he supposed to have said? He _knew_ that the Gray Man had set up the Classified file, and was under cover somewhere. Another trip through the computer revealed that much. But where was unknown. He wished that the Network agent had left some kind of clue as to where he was and how to get in touch with him. Chet was talking and Joe tried to focus on what his friend was saying. Just as they passed a young woman, Joe glanced at her and then stopped, doing a double take. He then told Chet, "I'll catch up with you later." Racing in the direction of the young woman, Joe was unable to catch up with her. Just as he did so, the young woman ducked into a service elevator. Joe tried to stop the doors from closing. Successful, he got a better look at the young woman and then stepped backward in shock, allowing the doors to close, blocking him from Iola Morton.


	18. Thoughts and more thoughts

Joe wasn't sure how he got back to the van, but he did. 'Iola…but that couldn't have been her. Was I seeing things?' Joe tried to keep his mind on driving, but he couldn't. The sight of Iola smiling at him from the elevator was still on his mind. 'Maybe Frank's right. I'm starting to make a big deal out of things.' At home, Joe was surprised to see his mother and aunt waiting for him. With a raised eyebrow, he was about to ask what had made them cut their "vacation" short, but at that moment, Frank walked in. As he greeted the two women, Frank ignored Joe and asked why they had returned. "We wanted to stay a little longer, but when we learned just how bad it was here, we came home." Mrs. Hardy explained calmly. Frank nodded and turned and left. Aunt Gertrude was shocked by the way Frank was treating his brother and questioned Joe about it. Without going into to much detail, Joe explained about his reservations about Taylor. Mrs. Hardy sighed and told him, "After what's going on with Callie, I think I understand what your brother is thinking about."

"I don't."

"Look at it this way: the same day that he broke up with Callie, Taylor arrived and they hit it off very well, correct?"

"Yeah…"

"Taylor is clearly from a very wealthy family, correct?"

"That's true."

"Callie attacked Taylor a total amount of three times, correct?"

"Right."

"Callie then attacks you, also has multiple drug charges, correct?"

"Right."

"She then breaks out of jail and kills several people, correct?"

"That's what happened."

"Now, why wouldn't Frank feel a bit angry because you start doubting Taylor? It does sound as if you're uncertain about the relationship." Joe thought for a moment and then nodded. Mrs. Hardy glanced at the answering machine. "Did your father call?" Joe blinked, surprised by the sudden change in topic. Shaking his head, Joe thought about the note that Fenton Hardy had left for them, 'Case came up…will be out of town for a few weeks.' Also, the Gray Man was working on a case. Joe tried not to, but he couldn't help but mentally connect everything strange thus far to Taylor.


	19. Anger for the Gray Man

Taylor glared at the Gray Man as he slept. She then looked at the needle in her left hand. It would be so easy to walk over, fill it with air and jab it into a vein. It would be so easy to watch him die. Taylor's hand shook as she tried to decide what she wanted to do. At that moment Killer entered and looked at his mistress. "It's his fault, you know." Taylor said to the dog. "He started all of it." Killer nudged Taylor's left hand, as if asking her to explain. "It started with my grandfather. He was a wealthy man that had a few shady friends. The Network thought that Grandfather was letting illegal transactions and trading go on with his business accounts and wanted something that they could pin on him. Grandfather beat them at every twist and turn. Then this man…" She jabbed a finger at the Gray Man, "Came to the vineyard and accused Grandfather of crimes that he didn't commit. Grandfather ordered him off the property and turned his back to him. Arthur Gray shot and killed my grandfather. This…monster shot him in the back in cold blood. Mentor had no other choice but to give up his dreams and find the man that took killed his father. This man destroyed one family and wouldn't stop until he destroyed another. He lied to my mother and convinced her to join his side. He then sent her to spy on my father and was the reason she was killed. He killed her just like he killed Grandfather. Then he came here to America and brought about the death of my father. I promise you this; I will not stand by and watch anyone else suffer because of him." Taylor started forward, but was stopped by Iola. Iola held Taylor's wrist and took the needle from her. "We still need him." Iola reminded her gently. Taylor nodded and walked out of the room with Killer on her heels. Iola looked at the sleeping form and then left as well. The Gray Man turned over and looked at the door silently. In a moment of clarity, such moments only came when he was just waking up, the Gray Man heard Taylor and now as a tear slid across his face, he whispered softly, "I never meant for any of this to happen."

Fenton Hardy watched the woman as she went shopping and now and then made a phone call. He wished that he knew who she was talking to and what was in the brown package that she was clearly guarding. Angry that there was no way to find out, Fenton continued to follow the woman until she returned home and went back to his hotel room. He then glanced at the TV and was about to turn it on, but opted not to in favor of going over the notes and photos from that day. The TV would be a distraction.

At home, Callie Shaw stared outside, wishing that she could be anywhere but in Bayport at that moment. She missed the way things had been. She was ready to give anything to have it all back: Frank, her best friend; Iola Morton, her freedom, the people that had died alive and well. Down the hall, her parents were softly arguing about what to do. Mrs. Shaw was all for throwing Callie out of the house while Mr. Shaw wanted to have her at home where they could keep her safe.

Joe looked at a photo of himself and Iola Morton. He knew that he had seen her at the mall, but there was no way to prove that it had been her. He put the framed photo back on the bedside table. Things were so far out of control, he had no idea which was left and which way was right any longer.

Frank Hardy listened to the whispered voice on the phone and hung up after a moment. He then made a phone call to Paris, France and informed the female Assassin that was there that she was to start the next phase of her part of the plan. She was to lure Fenton Hardy into a trap and make certain that the Assassins based in Paris knew that they were to capture, NOT kill their target. 


	20. FRANK POPS THE QUESTION!

(A quick note: Masa is a real Japanese restaurant in New York and IS NOT MINE! I lay no claims to it in any manner shape or form!)

Callie Shaw smiled at Frank as he brought the next packet of homework. She only had a few days left and then she could return to school. Granted that meant that she would be a constant target of snide comments from her fellow classmates, but at this time, she no longer cared. Next to Frank, Taylor tried not to notice the dark circles under Mrs. Shaw's eyes and what appeared to be a constant frown on the face of Mr. Shaw. She knew that both had been fighting lately and were trying to keep this from Callie. Taylor tried to think of something that she could do that wouldn't make Frank suspect anything, but could think of nothing. She then asked aloud, "Is there anything that I can do?" The Shaw family was surprised by the question. Mrs. Shaw spoke up, "You've done so much to help us already, Taylor. We couldn't ask you for anything else."

"Are you certain? I wouldn't mind."

"No, thank you. We've placed too much of a burden on you already." Mr. Shaw smiled as best as he could. Taylor nodded and watched the family carefully. She tried not to compare her own pain to what they were going through and knew that in only a matter of weeks, Callie Shaw would be on her way to a Women's Prison. As they walked out, Frank glared at a reporter that was trying to interview Taylor. Killer was a constant shadow to Taylor, and even was with her at school. Teachers and students alike welcomed this and enjoyed the attention that was eagerly given to them by the dog. Taylor sighed as they got into her car and pulled away from the house. Killer nudged Taylor's shoulder and Taylor reached back and petted him gently. Frank glanced at her and then asked, "Are you sure you don't mind that I'm driving?"

"I'm certain. It's just…I want to do something. I have an idea. Why don't we go out to dinner? It could be me, you and your family."

"I'm not inviting Joe."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are." Taylor looked at Frank and added, "He is your brother."

"I won't comment on that." Frank glanced at Taylor and saw that she meant it. "Okay, you can invite him, but I am going on the record with one last comment."

"My…don't we sound like a reporter."

"Fun-ny. I don't want him there. After what he…" Frank stopped. He didn't want Taylor to find out.

"You never did tell me why the two of you were fighting."

"Let's just say he's not too thrilled about…us."

"You and me?"

"That's right."

"Well…I think that we should try to mend the fences that we have burned."

"It's 'mend the bridges that we've burned'."

"Oh. Well, I think that we should. I know the perfect place to do it. But first, let's go to my house, I bought something for you that I hope you will like."

At the Westbrooke home, Frank stared at the car that was waiting there for them. It was a Porsche Carrera GT, 2dr Carrera, metallic black with a tan interior. He then looked at Taylor and asked her slowly, "How much did that cost you?"

"$524,245.00"

"And just what did you have done to it?" Taylor listed off the added bonuses. " Taylor… I can't accept it."

"I want you to have it."

"But…"

"I didn't think about the price when I got it. I thought about how much you need a car for yourself." Frank looked at Taylor, who was close to tears. He then sighed and accepted the gift. Taylor informed him that she would be at his home to pick everyone up in one hour. She then rushed inside with Killer before Frank could take a look at what was waiting for him on the front seat.

Joe gaped at the Porsche as it pulled up. Mrs. Hardy stared at it as well and then called Aunt Gertrude to the front door. Frank got out and tried not to look uncomfortable in the brand new leather jacket that Taylor had hid in a gift box that had been on the front seat of the car. Joe struggled not to comment and simply stepped to one side as Frank entered the house. Once Joe walked in and closed the front door, the phone rang. It was Taylor. For reasons that she would not go into, she asked everyone for their sizes in clothes and hung up. Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the front door. A delivery man stood there with four large boxes. After collecting signatures, he left. Mrs. Hardy opened hers first. Inside was a brand new red silk evening dress with a tasteful fur coat and new shoes. Aunt Gertrude found a silver evening dress with a tasteful fur coat and new shoes as well. Both women had also received a new purse that matched the dress. Joe opened his box slowly and found a charcoal gray suit with matching shoes waiting for him. Frank's contained a black suit and matching shoes. There was another knock at the door. A woman stood there waiting for Joe when he opened the door. Hair tastefully done, and wearing an outfit that suggested that she was a stylist, the woman announced that she was there for the Hardy women and rushed in with a styling team behind her. Both Mrs. Hardy and Aunt Gertrude were led to their rooms and underwent make and hair styling sessions. A stylist looked pointedly at the boxes and at the Hardy brothers. Both took the hint and went to get ready. When everyone was prepared, Joe tried not to comment as he examined the situation. It was clear that Taylor was picking them up and taking them somewhere expensive. But where in Bayport was there such a place? A few moments later, there was a third knock at the door. Frank opened it and Taylor beamed at him. "I wasn't certain about the dress code where we're going, so I thought…"

" Taylor, you didn't have to go through this much trouble."

"Yes I did." Taylor led the way to the limo and waited until everyone was in and the limo had pulled away before she said, "I'm kidnapping all of you for a night that no one will ever forget." It wasn't long before the limo pulled into New York and in front of Masa. Joe was surprised. From what he could tell, Masa was a very expensive Japanese restaurant, but why was Taylor bringing them here? And why were they so dressed up? Granted, what they had on wasn't completely out of place, but still… Taylor led the way inside and soon they were being led to a private booth. Taylor went through the proper traditions with the hostess and instructed everyone on what to do. Mrs. Hardy and Aunt Gertrude were impressed with Taylor's ability to follow the customs and language while Frank was impressed with the fact that Taylor was trying to adapt to living in America. Joe, on the other hand, suspected that there was a reason behind everything. During dinner, Taylor seemed to be forcing herself to be in a good mood. Frank finally reached out and stopped her hands from flitting around as she spoke. " Taylor…what's wrong?"

"It's…it's my aunt. She learned about what happened, and convinced my uncle to withdraw from my application. He is no longer my sponsor. I'll have to return to England in a week's time." Mrs. Hardy and Aunt Gertrude gasped in horror. "Uncle told me a few minutes before I called you. He said that it is for the best. But I do not wish to leave! He said that he had been thinking about it when I paid Callie's bail. My aunt informed him that I would be safer at my old school and he agreed with her. It was the first time they agreed on anything. He won't change his mind and says that if I try to convince him otherwise, he'll send me back the moment I try to talk him out of it!" Taylor picked up her napkin, covered her face and sobbed.

"What if…" Frank stopped and thought for a moment before he plunged ahead, "What if there was a way to make sure that you stayed?"

"And what way would that be? The only way that I could is if I were…" Taylor stopped and stared at him. "Are you mad? Are you truly mad? Have you gone insane?"

"It's the only way I can think of."

"But…we're both too young! I…you…"

"Why does your aunt really want you to go back?"

"The will that my grandfather left. As long as she is my guardian until I am twenty-one, of unless I was married, she is in control of the money that I inherited from my mother and my aunt that passed away."

"And how much is all of that worth?"

"Somewhere in the billions."

"But if..."

"Then all of it would go into an account and I would have control over it. That is; if I were living in England. Anywhere else, it would go into a trust account that I would have access to until I turned twenty-one."

"So my idea would be in your best interest."

"But…"

"I don't want you to have to go back to England."

"And I don't want to go back. She doesn't like me. She's hoping that my uncle will get sick and pass away. She knows that as the youngest, she would stand to lose her share because what little money that she has and that my uncle's money and estate would go to me."

"Wait…I'm lost." Joe looked from one to the other.

"My aunt is the youngest of four. It was my mother, my uncle, another aunt and the one that raised me. My mother wasn't allowed to inherit the estates, just some of the money, my aunt that passed away was left a large amount of money that was transferred to the account that my mother was given because she was the only one of the four to have a child. My uncle was given the bulk of the money and all the properties. If he passes away without an heir, than I inherit all of what was his. If the aunt that raised me passes away, I inherit all of what she had. I am the only living heir for all four. That was how my grandfather left his will. My uncle was the only living male heir, but has no children at all. My mother was married when my second aunt passed away before I was born and her part of the money was placed in my mother's account."

"That's the part I don't get."

"My grandfather said that his property and money were nothing more than things that can be given away or lost. It was his family that he held above everything else. It was family tradition not to leave property in the hands of a woman, even if she were the first born or not if there was a male heir. If there were no other heirs born in the family, then all money and property go to the one that has a child, male or female. That was my mother. My aunt can control my account as long as I am not twenty-one, or unwed or both. But I have to be in her sight or at least in the same country as she is. As long as I am here, she can only use her own account."

"And as long as Taylor isn't an American citizen, she's stuck following her aunt's wishes." Frank pointed out. Taylor nodded. "That's why I thought of the one way to keep her here."

"And that way is?" Joe demanded. Mrs. Hardy and Aunt Gertrude figured it out and looked at each other with a gasp.

"I…that is...if Taylor…" Frank was now tongue-tied.

"Here." Mrs. Hardy forced her engagement ring off of her hand.

"I'll make it up to you." Frank said as a way of thanks. He then went to Taylor and got on one knee and took her hand into his. "You mean a lot to me, and I don't want anything to keep us apart. Not your aunt, not your uncle, and not an ocean. Taylor, if this is the only way not only to make sure that you stay, but to show you that I love you, I want to do this. Taylor Westbrooke, will you marry me?"

"I…I…I….Y…Y….Yes."


	21. Weddings and returns

Joe gaped at his brother. Had he lost his mind? There was no way that Frank had just proposed to Taylor, was there? Mrs. Hardy and Aunt Gertrude were now welcoming Taylor to the family. Joe blinked once, twice and then a third time. Had he misheard? Was his mother and aunt now planning a wedding? What had just happened? "I wish your father was here. He'd enjoy this." Mrs. Hardy told Frank who was now next to Taylor, holding her hand and staring at her. Taylor was blushing as Aunt Gertrude started talking to her about wedding cakes, dresses and everything that had to do with a wedding. Joe shook his head and tried to recover. First Frank breaks up with Callie, then starts dating Taylor the same day (both claiming it was love at first sight), then Callie ends up in trouble, Taylor rushes off to the rescue while her uncle helps Chet who was wounded, and now this! Joe finished the meal in silence, unable to figure out what was going to happen next. Taylor waited until the meal was over and asked if anyone wanted to return to Bayport that night. "I had planned for us to stay here in New York for the night, but if anyone wants to go back…" Everyone, except for Joe, was for staying in New York not just for the night, but for the week-end. After a quick trip to a clothing store when the bill was paid (Taylor refused to show it to them) clothing was purchased and a hotel was found. Joe waited until his aunt and mother dragged Taylor away in order to start planning for a small and fast wedding before he walked over to Frank. Before he could say a word, Frank told him, "It was Taylor's idea to invite you. Believe it or not, but she wants you to like her."

"I believe it." Joe took a deep breath and added, "I hope you know what you're doing."

"I know exactly what I'm doing." Frank turned and looked at his brother. "I did care for Callie, but it was more or less like…going through the motions. Part of me wanted it to end, but I didn't want to hurt her. But it's different with Taylor. I want to be around her. I want a normal life so I won't have to worry if she's in danger from just talking to me. I can't explain it, but…"

"It's the same way for you now that it was for me and Iola." Joe caught on and looked thoughtful. He then added, "I saw someone that looked exactly like Iola today."

"Where?"

"The mall." Joe sighed and added, "That was when it hit me that you had a point. That I was starting to make a big deal out of everything. Maybe what Taylor told us tonight is why her file is so classified."

"It might be. We are talking about a lot of money." Frank turned and looked thoughtful. "Sorry about decking you."

"Hey, next time, there is no way you're getting that lucky." Both brothers looked at each other and started laughing. Joe stopped and then said slowly, "I have a feeling that the rumors are going to fly big time on Monday."

"Don't remind me."

"Follow me." Joe led the way to a jewelry store that he had spotted as they had arrived. A moment later, the two walked out with a small bag with a small box in it. Joe glanced at Frank and told him, "Don't expect anything for your birthday or for Christmas for the next nine years."

Taylor opened her door slowly and smiled at Frank. "Your mother and aunt are in here and they're talking about china patterns."

"I won't be long." Frank opened the bag and pulled the box out. Handing it to Taylor, he added, "This is Joe's way of proving you right." Taylor opened the box and stared at the sapphire and diamond engagement ring. She smiled as she put it on and then hugged Frank before hurrying back into the room to try and talk Aunt Gertrude out of canary yellow bridesmaid dresses.

Down the hall, Vachel-Thiery smirked in his private room. He knew that sooner or later, everything would turn out just as he wanted it to.

On Monday, everyone stared at the ring on Taylor's finger. Girls squealed in delight at the sight of the engagement ring. Teachers raised an eyebrow and guys thumped Frank on the back. The rumor mill spread it around fast: Frank Hardy and Taylor Westbrooke were going to be married in a small ceremony in order to keep Taylor's feet firmly planted in America. A modern day Romeo and Juliet. But in this version of the classic, they would live. The principal, a hopeless romantic, insisted that the small ceremony would take place in his school, and not at the Justice of the Peace the way that Frank and Taylor had planned. Taylor gave Mrs. Hardy full control of the arrangements and a blank check. Between the Hardy women, Mrs. Morton (another romantic), the Drama teacher (she had her students act out drama scenes every day) and the principal, the ceremony was ready. Chief Collig pulled what strings he could and the marriage license was ready the day that it was needed. The drama teacher had the home ec teacher use her class to make the wedding dress. Taylor and Callie (who were on speaking terms still, even though Callie was amazed by the speed everything was going) laid to rest any rumors that they disliked each other when Taylor asked Callie to be her Maid of Honor. As the day grew closer, Taylor was spending more and more time at the Hardy household. She confessed that she was afraid that if her uncle learned what she was doing, he would send her back to England.

The next four days passed quickly. On the day of the wedding, Taylor paced, nervous in the white dress that had been made for her. The press had been kept off the school grounds with twice as much man power by the police. It was the end of the school day, and no one went home. Instead, parents and family members were pouring into the school. Noone leaked to the press the reason and all the reporters could only guess as to what was going on. Taylor turned as Joe walked into the classroom where she was. "You wanted to see me?" He asked her, amazed at how she looked.

"You may get angry with me."

"Try me."

"Frank told me what had happened at the mall, and I felt so badly that I did some research and checked all burn clinics in the area for anyone that may have been brought in as a Jane Doe."

"Taylor…you didn't have to…"

"There was one. A Jane Doe taken to the Saint Mary's Center of Love. She had no memory of who she was and was treated for third and second degree burns. She left AMA a week ago. From what they described, I'd say it was Iola. That means she's alive and staying somewhere here in Bayport. They wouldn't tell me anymore than that once they guessed that I wasn't a relative. I then tracked down a man that also saw her. He led me right to the door of the apartment building where the burn patients live and all it took was showing her your photograph. I went early this morning and to make a long story short." Taylor pointed to a corner. Joe turned and stared for several minutes. Dressed in a pale violet dress and looking nervous was none other than Iola. Moving slowly, she walked closer and whispered, "Hi, Joe."

"Iola….you're…you're…" Unable to speak, Joe rushed over and gathered her into his arms. Iola returned the hug and Joe released her long enough to take a step back and turn to look at Taylor. "You did that…for me?"

"Yes."

"Despite how I acted?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I thought that you would do the same for me." Joe turned to look at Iola. She looked almost the same as she had when she vanished, except for a tiny scar on her left cheek. Iola touched the scar and said, "I had some pretty bad burns on my arms and legs. My face was scratched up very badly from the way that I fell when I was thrown clear. All I remember is getting up and trying to find you. I thought that you were right behind me and that you…that's all I remembered until Taylor found me."

"She must have thought that you had been killed and went into a type of shock and blocked out all of her memories. When I showed her that photograph, she remembered and was happy to hear that you're alive. We came here and she stayed in this classroom because she didn't want to face anyone just yet. We decided to wait until the wedding was over before scaring her family."

"Good idea." Joe hugged her again and then added, "I missed you."

"And I missed you too." There was a knock at the door. "That's your cue." Joe nodded and left with Taylor.

After the wedding, Joe led the Morton family to the classroom, and waited outside. Chet and his parents walked in and gaped for a moment before welcoming Iola back with open arms. They then smuggled her out so that they could figure out how to reintroduce Iola back to the world. Frank was told by Taylor during the first dance, and Frank was amazed and impressed with Taylor even more. Taylor gently placed her head on his shoulder and tried to image her father there, proud of his daughter and tried to banish the ghost of her mother. Taylor remembered very little of the woman, but remembered her uncle telling her that she looked exactly like the woman. Taylor had dyed her hair in order to escape the shadow of her mother, and despised her very memory. Now, she found herself wishing that the woman was there so she could meet Frank. 'Odd, is it not. You met my father through a lie, and here I am in the arms of my own husband thanks to a lie. You have ruined my life again.' Taylor thought, feeling a stab of betrayal toward her mother. She then sighed again, and tried to enjoy the moment again.


	22. Just when you thought it couldn't get co

The Gray Man stared at the nurse as she started pacing. Something was going to happen. He could feel it.

Annette glanced at her watch and then over at the Gray Man. Would the plan work the way that they wanted it to? Would Frank Hardy believe what they were about to attempt?

Vachel-Thiery smirked at the sight of his double. "We have received word from Paris. Fenton Hardy has been captured." The double informed him.

"And is everything else in place?"

"Yes. All paperwork that would indicate that your 'business partner' became greedy and came here to murder you for your stocks in his company."

"And the person that is to act as Taylor's aunt?"

"In place."

"Very good. Let us begin."

Annette jumped as her phone rang. Grabbing it, she hissed, "Is it time?"

"Yes, dear sister. You may begin."

Taylor looked at Frank as they drove to the Westbrooke home. "Why don't we wait a few more days?"

"Taylor, you have to tell him."

"But she's supposed to be here today."

"Your aunt?"

"Yes. I would like to avoid her, if possible."

"We both know that you can't."

Vachel-Thiery, wearing a pair of gloves, shot and killed his double at his desk. It would look as if the killer walked in and caught the man in surprise. A quick trip upstairs and a gunshot for the woman that was to be Taylor's aunt followed. Vachel-Thiery then handed the gun to Annette.

Annette stalked over to the Gray Man and gave him an injection and then shoved the gun into his hands and led him down the hall. Pointing the weapon at her own double, Annette waited until she heard voices in the library before pulling the trigger.

"L'oncle, êtes-vous ici?" Taylor called as she entered the house. Frank couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Something was very wrong. As they reached the library, Taylor squared her shoulders and walked in. Frank raced into the library when he heard a terrified scream. At the desk was Vachel-Thiery, slumped over, dead. Both Frank and Taylor jumped when they heard a gunshot upstairs. Frank raced out of the room and went up the stairs. At the second landing, Taylor caught up with him and stopped him. "Are you mad? Who ever that is won't have a problem shooting you too! And I am too young to be a widow!" Frank nodded and allowed Taylor to lead him back down stairs. Just as they reached the last stair, Frank turned and saw a figure raising a gun at them. Grabbing Taylor, he pulled her to safety just as the gun went off. Taylor screamed at the sound and ran toward a door, pulling Frank behind her. The gun sounded again just as Taylor slammed the door to the dining room closed. She then pulled Frank through the dining room and into the kitchen. "Trust me on this. It might be a tight fit, but it will be worth it." She then opened the door to what looked like a small closet with a rope that traveled downward in the middle. "A dumb waiter." Taylor said as a way of explaining as she slammed the door and started pulling the rope upward. Catching on, Frank began to help her and they soon were on the second floor. When the dumb waiter stopped, Taylor opened the door and stepped out. She then turned and hid her face against Frank's shoulder. It was a modest bedroom, and on the bed was a woman that clearly had been shot to death. "It's my aunt." Taylor whispered. Frank nodded once and led the way to the door. Risking a look, Frank guessed that the killer was still looking for them downstairs. He then led the way out of the room and down the hall. Risking a glance into another room, he saw Annette face down on the floor. Quickly, Frank pulled Taylor past the room and back down the stairs. The sound of foot steps was all the warning that he needed. Frank looked and saw the killer under him. Without thinking, Frank jumped over the side and landed on the killer. Knocking the gun out of the man's hand, Frank pinned him and yelled for Taylor to find something to tie the man's hands with. Taylor looked around and unhooked the strap to her purse. Racing down the stairs, she handed this to Frank and stepped back, watching him tie the man's hands up with it. A moment later, Frank turned the man over and found himself staring at Arthur Gray, better known as the Gray Man. Taylor leaned close and whispered, "I know him. He's Uncle's business partner." Frank tried to get over his shock. What was the Gray Man doing in Bayport? Why had he just killed Taylor's family? And why would Taylor think that the Gray Man was her uncle's business partner? None of it made sense.

Chief Collig sighed as the Gray Man was shoved into a police car. There had been more deaths in the past few months than he had ever seen…or had ever thought would ever happen. First Callie Shaw, and now this. In a rental car that they had found in the area, evidence was found that indicated that Arthur Gray was a very dangerous man. In fact, some of the evidence pointed to a shady business partner that had gotten greedy. In the event that the entire Westbrooke family died, all of the money that belonged to the family would become assets of the companies that the late Vachel-Thiery owned and would go to his business partner. A grand total of $978,869,902,900,000 in the US alone. Chief Collig went to comfort Taylor. "It looks like he snuck in and killed your uncle first. Your aunt was probably asleep when she was killed."

"She wouldn't have heard anything. She is…I mean…was a very sound sleeper." Taylor said slowly, her voice dull.

"The housekeeper was next. We're guessing he took her by surprise in the hall and chased her into the room where we found her."

"Did…did she suffer?"

"No. It was very quick." Taylor nodded and sighed sadly. "I'm sorry about all of this."

"It's not your fault. You didn't…" Taylor looked away and tried not to start crying.

"We found proof that this guy had been stealing money from your uncle's American based business and was using the money for a few shady deals."

"Such as?"

"Drug running, for one thing. Taylor, are you certain that there is nothing that we can do?"

"I was just thinking."

"What?"

"Those people that were killed earlier…What were their names again?" Chief Collig and Frank shared a look. It was clear that something had popped up in Taylor's mind. As she heard the names, Taylor looked more and more thoughtful. "I thought so."

"What is it?"

"All of them worked for the same company, did they not?"

"That's right."

"And at least three of them worked in the same department, correct?"

"You're right again."

"I think that they may have stumbled onto the embezzlement, and not known it."

"Are you saying that this guy may have used Callie to commit murder?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Taylor glanced at Frank and added, "She has lived here all her life. She would know the area well enough to serve as a guide." Frank looked thoughtful. Taylor did have a point. Frank didn't want to admit it, but it looked as if Callie was involved in something much more dangerous than he had thought.

L'oncle, êtes-vous ici? "Uncle, are you here?"


	23. Questions answered

Joe gaped in shock. The Gray Man…in Bayport? And he was a murderer? Frank had waited until Taylor had gone to bed before he started trying to hack into the file that was in the Network's computers. Joe watched as file names flew on the screen. The grim look on Frank's face was evidence that he was not going to stand by and wait until someone from the network decided to contact them…if ever. It took Frank twenty minutes to get into the file. What he found was shocking:

"NAME: WESTBROOKE, TAYLOR

D.O.B: JULY 4th

HEIGHT: 5"9 ½"

WEIGHT: 147 lb.

HAIR COLOR: DEEP RED

EYE COLOR: EMERALD GREEN

BIOLOGICAL MOTHER'S NAME: CHANNING-WESTBROOKE, CLARA

BIOLOGICAL FATHER'S NAME: UNKNOWN

GUARDIAN: CHANNING, DIANE

CURRENT SCHOOL: BAYVILLE HIGH

FORMER SCHOOL: THE PERFECT LADY'S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

PLACE OF BIRTH: LONDON, ENGLAND

INFORMATION: WESTBROOKE WAS BORN IN LONDON TO A FORMER NETWORK AGENT THAT WAS SENT UNDERCOVER FOR REASONS THAT INVOLVE AL-ROUSASA. MOTHER WAS KILLED BY UNDERCOVER NETWORK AGENT. IT MUST **_NEVER_** BE REVEALED TO HER THAT AL-ROUSASA IS HER FATHER. AL-ROUSASA BECAME A DOUBLE AGENT WORKING FOR THE NETWORK, AND WAS SENT AFTER THE PERSON PEOPLE THINK IS PHILIP WALKER, HE IS REALLY AN ASSASSIN THAT HAS TAKEN THE PLACE OF THE REAL PHILIP WALKER. WESTBROOKE ONLY KNOWS THAT HER FATHER WAS KILLED IN A MURDER PLOT THAT INVOLVED HIS COMPANY AND KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT HER MOTHER. THIS INFORMATION MUST NEVER BE REVEALED TO HER.

PERSONAL NOTE: ALL BUSINESS DEALINGS WITH MOTHER'S FAMILY MUST CONTINUE AS PLANNED. WITH ALL ASSETS TIED TO THE FAMILY NOW INCLUDED IN THE COMPANY, PHASE ONE IS COMPLETE. PHASE TO WILL BEGIN IF WESTBROOKE MARRIES. SHE CAN NOT GAIN CONTROL OF ANY OF THE FINANCES. EMBEZZLEMENT WILL BE DISCOVERED IF SHE GAINS CONTROL OF MOTHER'S BANK ACCOUNT. DID NOT GO THROUGH THE TROUBLE OF KILLING MOTHER TO HAVE WESTBROOKE RUIN PLANS. KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR ANYONE THAT WESTBROOKE GETS CLOSE TO. FIND A WAY TO SPY ON THAT PERSON AND USE WHAT EVER MEANS NEEDED. FIND CONTACT IN BAYPORT TO GET CLOSE TO AND TERMINATE ALL EMPLOYEES OF AMERICAN COMPANY THAT MAY HAVE LEARNED OF EMBEZZLEMENT. TOO MUCH IS AT STAKE. BELOW ARE FIGURES FOR WESTBROOKE'S WORTH WITHOUT COMPANY…" There were over 200 listings. The grand total for all of them was a mind blowing $491,900,000,000,000,000. The figures that included the total from adding up holdings of her uncle's the 10 companies twice as much. The figure that added these in was completely mind blowing. Joe stared at the figures and then said, "You just married a person that makes Bill Gates look like a poor church mouse!" Mentally, Frank agreed with his brother. But something about the whole thing made no sense whatsoever. What was the Gray Man thinking? Frank went to ask the Gray Man this in person, but Officer Con Riley flat out refused to let Frank anywhere near the Gray Man. "Sorry, Frank. But with the charges against him, the only visitor he's allowed right now is his lawyer." At that moment, the same lawyer that was defending Callie walked by, her face grim. Frank glanced at the woman and was about to ask, but instead of hearing Con Riley's voice, he heard that of Chief Collig, "She's a new attorney that's taking on clients that no one else wants. She's got a full case load as it is. She's doing her cases for free." Frank nodded thoughtfully and then left. He then went to check on Taylor at home. In the family room, Taylor was staring at nothing and had her arms wrapped around Killer. The dog looked up at Frank and whined, as if the temptation to pounce was strong, but Taylor's grip was stronger. Frank joined Taylor and tried to think of what to say. Taylor turned and looked at him. "You know that man, my uncle's business partner, don't you?"

"I know him. At least, I thought I did."

"Why would he do this? What did my uncle do to him?"

"Taylor…it's complicated."

"I want to know everything that you know."

"Are you sure?"

"Very."

"You may change your mind." Frank then told her about her father, why her parents had gotten married and the real reason her mother died. Taylor listened and said nothing until Frank was finished. She then released Killer and jumped to her feet and began to pace in anger. "Are you telling me that this man has killed almost every person that he has met and now he has killed my family? What if Callie is innocent? What if what she is accused of is the fault of this man?"

"I don't know. At this point the police are keeping me in the dark."

"What if I went to talk to him…never mind. I would have less luck than you." Taylor stopped pacing and then looked at Frank. "What else is in the file?"

"Everything, including your financial information."

"So now you know." Taylor looked at him and then said, "I wonder if I should tell you."

"Tell me about what?"

"My family was a bit old fashioned. They set aside a dowery as a separate account. When the family lawyer discovered that I married you…oh I called him and told him. He treats me as if I am his daughter." Taylor added quickly and then continued, "He did something that I am uncertain if you will approve of." At that moment the doorbell rang. Standing there was a delivery man. When Mrs. Hardy signed the paperwork, she was handed an envelope and the man left. Opening the envelope, Mrs. Hardy found a check worth $560,000,000,000 dollars. She did the only thing that she could do…she fainted.


	24. The more things change

The following morning, the Hardy family stared at the check…rather Mrs. Hardy and her sister-in-law stared at the check. Joe was staring at Taylor. Frank kept an eye on his brother. He didn't want the entire story about Taylor's father being said until he could figure out how to break it to her. Mrs. Hardy asked Taylor in a near calm voice, "Are you certain about this?"

"Very. The dowry was set up by my family and by rights, it's yours."

"But this…I mean…Taylor, I'm not sure what to say."

"I want you to have it. You've done so much for me and I wouldn't feel right not giving something to you."

"But…"

"Please." Mrs. Hardy saw the look in Taylor's eyes and agreed to place the money in an account. Later that night, Joe was unable to get over what Taylor had done. He was starting to wonder what she was up to.

In the Shaw family living room, Callie Shaw was in a state of shock. Her lawyer had informed her that because it would cause a "conflict of interest", both Callie and Mr. Gray would be allocating to ALL charges. "What does that mean?" Mr. Shaw held his wife's hand as they stared at the lawyer. With a calm shrug, the lawyer replied, "That means that instead of the death penalty, your daughter will get a sentence of life in prison with a possibility of parole in….40 years."

"Is there any other way?"

"Do you want to hear what Mr. Gray has to tell the court and see the evidence that there is to back up what he claims?" When the Shaws said nothing, the lawyer nodded once and said coldly, "That's what I thought. Now, all you have to do young lady is say 'Yes, your Honor' to every question that he asks you as far as your guilt. Once that's done, he'll tell you the same sentence that I just did and it will be all over." Callie nodded and turned to look at her parents. They stared at her sadly and then at each other.

"In breaking news, tomorrow morning, Callie Shaw will be in court, allocating to the charges against her. A relative of one of the victims had this to say; quote 'Seeing her locked up won't bring back my wife, but I will have a sense of justice that what happened to me won't happen to someone else.'"

Chet watched the news broadcast in a state of shock. Callie was on her way to prison. There was no way to prove that she was innocent if she was willing to make such a statement. With a sigh, he stood and went outside. Shadow jumped up and followed him. Iola walked away from where she had been hiding, a grin on her face.

In Paris, Fenton Hardy listened at the door to the cell that he was in. The guards were bragging about how the Gray Man had been arrested for 'being too greedy. Unable to figure out what they were talking about, Fenton began to pace the cell, hopeful that sooner or later, he would be able to escape.


	25. Brother vs Brother 1

It had been more than a week since anyone had heard from Fenton, and the family was starting to worry. Mrs. Hardy, determined to keep the peace between her sons, gave them direct orders to "stop acting like children", and work together in finding their father. Frank agreed, even though he had very little interest in the idea. Despite all the evidence against the Gray Man, Joe was determined to find out if the Network was involved in what had happened or not. Also, Joe didn't trust Taylor in any manner shape or form. For reasons that he couldn't think of, his doubts returned, stronger than ever. The press, after learning about the marriage between Frank and Taylor, had dubbed them the "Billion Dollar Couple", and would not stop calling every three hours. That is until Frank grimly promised legal action and that was the end of all requests for interviews and sent the media fleeing from the Hardy household. Joe went into the Network database and found no evidence that the Gray Man had contacted the Hardy household at any time before his arrest. What he did find was more evidence against him concerning Taylor and her family. Disheartened, he gave up that end of the search and focused more on his father's credit cards. In a matter of hours, he found the purchase of a plane ticket to Paris and was stuck with a problem: whether or not to inform Frank about it.

In the courtroom one day later, Callie Shaw tried not to look at the judge as he leaned forward and asked her, "Is it true that you attacked Taylor Westbrooke on three separate occasions?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is it true that you were involved with the murders at the Westbrooke home?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is it true that you committed the murders that you stand accused of?"

"Yes, sir."

Is it true that you were working with Arthur Gray and was ordered to commit the murders that you are accused of in order to assist him in embezzling millions, if not more from the deceased, Vachel-Thiery Channing?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is it true that over three million dollars worth of drugs found in your room, ready for distribution?"

"Yes, sir."

"Was this your property?"

"Yes, sir."

"I've heard enough." The judge turned his glare toward the ADA (Assistant District Attorney), "I have heard of foolishly made deals before, Counselor, but NEVER have I heard one this sloppy. I am tossing out the agreed upon jail sentence and forming one of my own." He then turned back to Callie. "Miss Shaw, I am sentencing you to a prison sentence that will be no less than 40 years and nothing longer than your natural life. There will be no chance of parole in any manner shape or form. This case is dismissed." The family members of the victims became crying and laughing in joy. Some went as far as applauding. Callie stared in shock as the guards came forward and placed the handcuffs on her and led her away. In the back, Iola, Joe and Chet gaped in disbelief. Taylor stood next to Frank and leaned on him for support, or so everyone thought. In actuality, Taylor buried her face in his shoulder to hide the sinister joy in her eyes.

Outside the courtroom, Taylor leaned against Frank and said slowly, "Now what will happen to her? Is there something that can be done to make sure that… I don't know, that…" Taylor stopped and turned to look at all of them. Chet shrugged and told her that there was nothing that could be done. Because of the evidence, the judge was well within his right to do so and because Callie had agreed to what was being said, she was…in the eyes of the court, guilty.

"I know, but, I wish that…" Taylor stopped and then started walking again.

The next few days of school were filled with rumors. No one thought that Callie was innocent, not even people that had been friends with her for a long time. Joe was starting to get sick and tired of hearing about how Callie had shown her true colors at last. He then decided that perhaps a trip to Paris was in order. That weekend, he told Frank what he had found out. Frank gaped for a moment, in shock that Joe was just now telling him. Before he could say anything, the phone rang. Joe grabbed it, and before he could say a word, a voice told him, "If you wish to save your father, go to this address. Tell no one but your brother. If I see anyone else at the address, I will kill that person." A second later there was silence on the other end of the line. Joe hung up the phone and repeated the cryptic message. The two packed quickly and were almost out of the door when Taylor saw them. "And just where do you think you are going?"

Joe glanced at Frank before he quickly told her, "Nowhere."

"I see, and since when do you need an overnight bag to go to 'nowhere'?" Frank closed the door and quickly explained the situation to Taylor. Looking thoughtful, she said, "I'm going with you."

"No, you're not. Taylor, if anything happened to you…"

"This person said that no one else could go to the address where your father is being held, correct?"

"That's right."

"But that doesn't mean that I can't enter the country with you. Think about it, they'll expect you to be alone and that will make the two of you stand out. But if a third person went, someone that could call the police if you were taken prisoner, they wouldn't be able to do anything about that, correct?"

"They could take you prisoner."

"If I were to make myself a target. But if you told me that you would meet me somewhere for lunch and didn't show up, I'm more than certain that the police would be more than willing to ease the mind of a newlywed by searching for her husband and her brother-in-law." Taylor smiled at them and added, "Also, there is the matter of taking the jet. The pilot would enjoy listening to the two of you explain why I'm not with you." Seeing the looks of shock that both were wearing, she asked, "You certainly weren't thinking of taking a regular flight were you? That would be a waste of time. The sooner you get there, the less time they…who ever they are, have of setting up a trap." Frank agreed, reluctantly. Joe on the other hand wondered why Taylor was so determined to be helpful.

In Paris, Frank drove to the address as Joe tried not to think about how once again, all the connections in one form or another led to Taylor. He had, during the flight, made the mistake of hinting that the Assassins may be using Taylor in a way that even she would not know about. Frank had then given his brother a glare that could have turned the polar ice caps into water in a matter of seconds. Once at the address, Joe looked at the building. It appeared run-down and not in use. But one didn't put anything past the Assassins. Inside, both brothers glanced at each other and then went in two different directions.

Frank was about to open a door when he heard, "This is an interesting place to run into you…L'ange de mort" Vachel-Thiery stepped out of hiding and said, "It is time to begin. You will take my place and you will bring honor to the Assassins. The plan, and my niece are all that matter to you. Is that clear?"

"Very clear, Mentor."

"Good. Begin."

Fenton looked up as the door opened and a guard was thrown in. A moment later, Frank entered and said calmly, "This is an interesting place for a vacation."

"Not as interesting as it will be to leave." At that moment, Joe raced down the hall with three other guards right behind him. Once the guards were knocked out, the trio made a quick escape. On the way back to the hotel where Taylor was waiting for them, Frank told his father what had happened while he was away. The only thing that he left out was the fact that he married Taylor. Joe noticed this and decided not to comment. Fenton frowned thoughtfully and said, "I heard the guards say something about the Gray Man being too greedy. I wasn't sure what they were talking about, but if what you just said is true, I'm starting to wonder…"

"I wonder just how much of it the Assassins made up." Joe commented and winced when he saw the look Frank gave him. Waiting a moment, he quickly added, "Let's not forget that both the Assassins and the Network have a reason to be interested in Taylor."

"That is something else that's bothering me." Fenton confessed. "Her mother joined the Network, but why? Why would the Gray Man go out of his way to recruit her? And why would the Network claim that Al-Rousasa was after Phillip Walker if in fact Al-Rousasa was on our side?"

"Maybe these are questions that the Gray Man can answer." Frank tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He then added coldly, "I'm sure he'll be glad to tell us since he was the only person that was in Taylor's home with the gun that killed her family." Joe said nothing else. At the hotel, Taylor was surrounded by shopping bags and had a grin on her face. Without waiting, she said, "I was right. A man followed me from the hotel to the stores that I went to, and then to the café where I pretended that I was waiting for you, back to the hotel and once again to the stores. The moment I flagged a police man, he stopped following me. I told you that having me along would ruin their plans. Maybe next time I won't have to let my words speak louder than my actions."

"Let your actions speak louder than your words." Frank couldn't stop from laughing. Taylor pouted slightly and grumbled something as she gathered the bags. Fenton saw the wedding ring that Taylor was wearing and realized that something else had happened.

After the plane took off, Taylor went to double check with the pilot that everything was working correctly. Fenton turned toward Frank and asked, "Is there something else you want to tell me?" Frank took a deep breath and told Fenton about the wedding. Fenton nodded thoughtfully and said, "It sounds as if Taylor's had it pretty rough."

"I still think that all of it is just a little too convenient." Joe said in a low voice.

"Do both of us a favor. Stop before we find out if you can fly." Frank turned to glare at Joe. "Because it sounds like you're about to accuse Taylor of working with the Assassins."

"What makes you so sure that she's not? Don't you think that it's a little strange that all of this started when she arrived?"

"Joe, shut up. If not for Taylor, we never would have known that Iola was alive."

"And that wouldn't have happened if not for Taylor's father."

"Are you trying to say what I think you're trying to say?"

"What that all of this is an Assassin scam? That's exactly what I'm trying to say." Fenton grabbed Frank by his shoulder and gave both of them a look as Taylor returned. Glancing at the two brothers, Taylor informed them that the pilot had been informed that there was a storm heading for Bayport and that the plane would land in New York instead.

After the jet landed, neither of the brothers were speaking to the other. At the Hardy household, Mrs. Hardy hugged her husband until he was a light shade of blue. She then noticed the tension between her sons. Frank turned and glared at Joe. "I want you to stop acting as if you know everything about Taylor."

"I just want to find out if the Network is into anything shady."

"You saw the files."

"Sure, but how do we know those are real?" Joe was about to say something else when he saw Taylor walk in and stopped talking.

"Look, the last thing Taylor needs to find out is that her father fell to his death because of you!" Frank snapped, without realizing that Taylor was in the room. He then turned and saw her standing there, one hand holding the door as if her life depended on it.

"Is that true?" Taylor looked at Frank and then at Joe. "Did you cause my father's death?"

"It wasn't like that." Frank went over to her, and held her.

"What happened? I want to know everything." Taylor looked up at him and added, "You promised to never lie to me. Tell me everything." Frank told her the details that had been left out. He then looked at her thoughtfully. The last thing that he said, ''Kleine Blume, es tut ich Leid, dass ich versagt habe, mein Versprechen zu Ihnen zu behalten'. What does that translate into?"

"It translates into, 'Little Flower, I am sorry that I failed to keep my promise to you'. He always called me that. He promised me that he was going to take me on a holiday. Just the two of us. He promised me…it was the only thing that he ever promised." Taylor turned to look at Joe. "He said that he didn't like his job, that his 'employer' was blackmailing him. I begged him to go to the proper authorities. He told me that the man worked for a very powerful group. He said that no one would listen to him. I thought that he was being forced to work for some business company. And you're telling me that my father was some sort of murderer that you let die because of what you thought he did? He had no other choice!" Taylor then let out a loud scream and charged, knocking Joe down and she then started punching him. The blows caught him by surprise, but didn't hurt him. Fenton went over and pulled Taylor off. Just as Joe stood, Frank grabbed his brother and threw him out of the back door. Before Joe could try to defend himself, Frank went on the offensive and started landing mind numbing punches and kicks. The neighbors heard the noise and called the police. Con Riley came out with two other officers. It took a total of twenty minutes to pull the two apart. Frank glared at Joe for a moment before he turned and went to comfort Taylor. Taylor was gasping for air as Con Riley explained that the ADA had already decided not to press charges against Joe for what had happened. Taylor gaped for a moment and then screamed, "THAT'S JUST PERFECT! JUST BLOODY PERFECT! MY FATHER IS KILLED AND THE PERSON THAT MURDERED HIM GETS TO WALK AWAY FROM WHAT HE DID! THAT'S PERFECT AMERICAN JUSTICE! I GUESS I SHOULD BE GREATFUL THAT MY UNCLE AND MY AUNT WERE GIVEN JUSTICE! I GUESS THAT I SHOULD BE HAPPY WITH THE FACT THAT THE WOMAN THAT I LOOKED UP TO WAS GIVEN HER DAY IN COURT, BECAUSE MY FATHER WILL NEVER HAVE HIS!" Frank sent another look at Joe and after whistling for Killer, led the two out of the back yard and drove off with Taylor and her canine companion.


	26. Confessions and arguments

There was a stunned silence in the Hardy household. Fenton had gone to get an icepack for Joe. Mrs. Hardy had gone to her room, sobbing over the fact that her sons had fought in such a vicious manner. Aunt Gertrude simply didn't want to talk about it. Rumors flew through the neighborhood that Joe had been flirting with Taylor and that was what had caused the fight. At school, no one knew what to think. Frank was avoiding Joe as if he had the plague, and Joe was sporting a black eye. Taylor was sending looks so deadly to her brother-in-law that teachers were shocked that Joe didn't fall over dead. Chet and Biff refused to take sides in the matter. Iola steered clear of the subject, and simply said that the sooner school ended, the less like a battle zone Bayport would feel like.

At the graduation, Fenton attempted to get his sons talking to each other. Frank ignored Joe as he informed his parents that he was considering re-opening the business that Taylor's uncle had owned. Mrs. Hardy gave a weak smile and said, "That would give a lot of people a new start." Taylor linked arms with Frank and smiled slightly as her in-laws greeted her. Joe kept an eye on Taylor as she gave him pointed looks and said nothing at all. Next to her, Killer stood still, wearing a large blue bow. The dog now and then attempted to pull the bow off. Mrs. Hardy glanced at the dog and then at Frank. Seeing the look, Frank quickly explained, "He's here more or less to protect Taylor. We've had a few…phone calls."

"What kind of phone calls?" Fenton asked, hoping that Joe would join in the conversation.

"The kind that no one says anything and then hangs up. I traced three of them." His gaze was ice when he finally turned toward Joe. "Surprise, surprise on where they came from."

"Wait a second." Joe gaped for a moment as a crowd started to gather. "Are you saying that I'm stalking Taylor?"

"Why not?" Taylor spoke up. "You might want to finish what you started, and that terrible man couldn't do. With me out of the way, there won't be another Westbrooke on the planet."

"You're crazy!" Joe now glared at her. "How do we know you're not making the whole thing up?"

"And why would I do that?"

"Revenge for what happened to your father?"

"That's right." Taylor's voice dripped poison. "I came all the way from England to darken your good name, and turn your brother against you for someone that you killed, a man that I only knew through letters and a phone call once and a while. I did all of that and had my uncle killed just for you. Your ego is something that I find to be over-inflated, and in honesty, you have no idea how STUPID that sounded." With that said, Taylor stalked away. Frank glared at Joe and snarled, "If you EVER come near her again, I will make sure you wish that you hadn't." He then turned and walked away.


	27. End Game

At home, in his room, Joe thought about what Taylor had said. He had to admit that none of it made any sense. 'Am I losing it, or what? If Taylor was working with the Assassins, would she confess it like that?' He started to pace as he thought about the events of the past few days. He then decided to call Iola and see if she wanted to go out, the perfect way to get his mind off what was going on. Chet answered and informed Joe that Iola had gone to visit with Callie before she was transferred to the Women's Prison. Joe sighed and hung up the phone.

Callie tried to smile as Iola told her about the latest escapades at the Morton farm. "What happened at graduation? Tell me everything." Iola described the event as best as she could. Callie closed her eyes and tried to imagine the way the ceremony went. When Iola was finished, Callie asked her, "Did anything else happen?"

"You're not going to like it."

"What?"

"Frank and Joe had a fight."

"A what?"

"Well, more like a battle of words. Trust me, it worked out better than the fight that they had a few days ago." Iola told her friend all about it. Callie stared in disbelief. Frank had never gotten in a fight with Joe over anything before. She was now bewildered to learn that they had traded blows. Iola glanced at her watch and then said, "I've got to go. I'll visit you in a couple of weeks."

"Okay."

At the Men's Prison, the Gray Man had a feeling that he was being watched. There was a guard that he didn't recognize walking behind him. 'You fool, you haven't been in here long enough to know all the guards. He might be someone that has worked here for years.' At that moment, the guard grabbed the Gray Man by his arm and led him away from the other prisoners. Down an empty hallway, the guard gave the Gray Man a shove and pulled out his weapon and pointed it at the Gray Man. While the former British agent stared in horror, the guard removed his hat and the Gray Man found himself staring at Frank Hardy. With a cold smile, Frank asked the Gray Man in French, "Vous jamais avez dansé avec un ange de mort dans les feux d'Enfer?" He then pulled the trigger.

"In other news today, Arthur Gray was found dead in the Bayport Men's Prison. It appears that while being led to solitary confinement, Mr. Gray was able to steal a guard's weapon and turned it on himself. Miss Callie Shaw has been placed on Suicide Watch at the prison where she is currently residing, awaiting transfer to the Bayport Women's Prison."

In his home in Paris, Vachel-Thiery laughed as he watched the news. Things were working out better than he had thought that they would. Next to him, an Assassin asked, "How much longer until we destroy Joe Hardy?"

"I have yet to decide. I want you to go to Los Angeles and make sure that the 'company' there is working as well as it should. If there is even the smallest problem, inform my niece. I want her and Frank ready to take over when it is time."

"Yes, Mentor."

"And while you're at it, make sure that Iola understands that her next task will begin soon."

"What task is that, Mentor?"

"Simple, she will be the one that will lead young Mr. Hardy to his destruction."

At Westbrooke Manor, Joe carefully searched the first floor for any clues as to what had happened. Taylor and Frank had simply purchased another property and were waiting for something that they had not explained before selling this property. The large mansion was cold and felt almost like a tomb. Joe shuddered at the thought and continued his search. The first floor yielded nothing of interest with the exception of a large statue in a corner of the library. Joe ignored it and went to the next floor. On the second floor, he discovered nothing that seemed out of place at first. And then the beam of the flashlight that he was using landed on what looked like a copy of the Mona Lisa. Joe walked over and studied the painting carefully. It was clearly a copy, not a one of a kind item that Vachel-Thiery was known for collecting. Looking at the frame, Joe noticed that there was a corner that was thicker than the other. Reaching out, Joe pressed it and jumped back when a panel opened in the wall. Behind the panel was a set of stairs. Joe quickly walked up the flight of stairs and was shocked to learn that there was a third floor. The rooms on this floor resembled hospital rooms with bars on the windows. In one room, the window was broken from the inside, a book on the floor next to the window. Joe left the room and walked further until he found what looked like a walk-in closet. Inside were bottles and vials, the labels in languages that he couldn't understand. Joe was about to pick one up when he heard a voice behind him, "I'm glad to see that you've made yourself at home. I would ask you to stay, but it's not time for that yet." Joe turned and found Taylor and Frank standing there, looking at him. In Taylor's hands was a deadly looking submachine gun. "I suggest you leave, Joe. This is loaded, and I have an excellent aim."

"So you told the truth earlier. You do work with the Assassins."

"They killed my grandfather, my aunt, and my mother. You killed my father, a man that was blackmailed into working with them. The Gray Man killed my uncle and my aunt. What would you expect?"

"And you came here to do what…kill me?"

"If I wanted you dead, you would be dead. No, I want more than that. I don't just want to watch you die; I want to see you pay for your crime. I want to see you locked away, removed away from the people that care for you. I want you to suffer the same thing that my father suffered. I want you isolated away from all help, all hope, all love before you lose everything. I don't want your life, Joe Hardy. I want you soul. And I want to see the Network destroyed for taking away my mother. I never had a chance to know her. I want to destroy them the way they destroyed my family."

"And you're helping her?" Joe aimed the question at Frank.

"What can I say? She has a good point." Frank gave a slight shrug and then placed a hand on Taylor's shoulder. "She's right about everything. The Network and you."

"But dad works with the Network."

"We're both willing to overlook that. It's you neither of us can forgive." Taylor lifted the gun and was about to pull the trigger when Joe raced past them, in desperation. It wasn't until he reached the ground floor that he remembered that Taylor had said that they were going to kill him. Before he could figure out why they were letting him go, he heard a man's voice yell, "BAYPORT POLICE! GET ON THE GROUND NOW!" Joe turned to find several police officers aiming weapons at him. Joe moved slowly and followed their instructions.

Taylor smirked as Joe was taken away in the back of a police car. She then turned and looked at Frank and said, "The games have begun."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"That's the end of this story... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" (ducks the eggs and tomatoes being thrown at her.) "But I promise that there's more to come, HONEST! Please wait for the next installment, _Family and Assassins_."

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Vous jamais avez dansé avec un ange de mort dans les feux d'Enfer ? Have you ever danced with an angel of death in the fires of Hell?


End file.
